DR  LIVINGSTONE. 

from  the  Frontispiece  to  "The  Personal  Life  of  David  Livingstone,' 
by  permission  of  Mr  John  Murray. 


DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

THE  STORY 

OF  THE  LIVINGSTONIA  MISSION 
BRITISH   CENTRAL  AFRICA 

BY 

JAMES  W.  JACK,  M.A. 


REVISED,  WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION 

BY 

ROBERT   LAWS,  M.D.,  D.D. 

F.R.S.E.  &  Hon.  F.R.S.G.S. 

LIVINGSTONIA 


WITH  MAP  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 


YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT 
NEW  YORK 


Stack 
Annex 


512S495 


affectionate  lg  2>eMcate& 

TO  THE 

LIVINGSTONIA   MISSIONARIES 

AT  PRESENT  LABOURING 
IN   BRITISH   CENTRAL  AFRICA 

AND  TO  THE  MEMORY 

OF  THE   NOBLE  BAND  WHO   HAVE 

FALLEN   IN   WHOLE-HEARTED   DEVOTION   TO  CHRIST 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION    .  .       '   .      .    .          .          .        15 

African  Exploration— Livingstone— His  First  Journey — His  Second  Journey — 
Slave  Trade— Public  Interest— Scottish  Enthusiasm— Dr  Stewart's  Proposal- 
African  Committee — Failure — Livingstone's  Death — Fresh  Interest — Dr  Stewart 
Again— The  Free  Church  Assembly— Favourable  Reception— Difficulties  and  Ad- 
vantages—Resolved to  Proceed— Nature  of  Mission— In  Memoriam— Scotland's 
Crown  of  Glory. 

II.  PREPARATIONS        .•.,...        30 

Dr  Stewart's  Zeal  — Other  Helpers  —  Horace  Waller  and  Captain  Wilson  — 
Appointment  of  Leader  of  Expedition — Lieutenant  Young's  Qualifications — Money 
Difficulties— Glasgow's  Merchant  Princes— Public  Meetings— Scotland's  Liberality 
— Presbyterian  Co-operation  —  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  —  United  Presby- 
terian—Established—What a  Missionary  is— Appointment  of  Mission  Party— The 
Ilala— Portuguese  Protection— Thanksgiving. 

III.  THE  EXPEDITION  «.'•"•  •  .  ,40 

Instructions — Departure — Reception  at  Cape  Town — Algoa  Bay — The  Zambesi — 
Kongone  Bar— The  Natives— Ilala  Reconstructed— Journey  Inland— Catastrophe- 
Mrs  Livingstone's  Grave— The  Shire  River— Scenery  and  Animals— Difficulties  of 
River-Journeying—Bishop  Mackenzie's  Grave— Universities'  Mission— The  Mako- 
lolo  :  their  Opposition  to  Slavery  and  to  Portuguese  Rule — Their  Enthusiasm  at 
the  Expedition — Evil  European  Influence — The  Colony  at  Chibisa's — The  Cataracts 
—The  Overland  Journey— Afloat  Again— Mponda— Terror  of  Arabs— Arrival  at 
Lake — Cape  Maclear — An  Epoch  in  Africa's  Emancipation. 

IV.  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION  .  .  *  .  ,        56 

Description  of  Nyasaland  —  The  West  Coast  of  the  Lake  —  The  Plateaux  — 
Ngoniland— Discovery  of  Lake  — Its  Gales  —  Cape  Maclear— Welcome  from  the 
Natives— Erection  of  Houses— Treatment  of  the  Natives— Visits  to  Chiefs— The 
Slave-trade — The  Halo's  Usefulness— Slave  Horrors — Arab  Threats — Wild  Beasts — 
Civil  Authority— The  Ilala  high  and  dry— The  Blantyre  Station— No  Letters!— 
Pictures— A  Native  Congregation— Creation  of  Sabbath— Power  of  Example— A 
Noble  Record. 

V.  THE  NATIVES         .  .  «          ,          ,  ,        71 

The  Bantu  Race  — The  Nyanja  Tribes  — An  African  Village  —  Family  Life^- 
Appearance  of  Natives — Their  Clothing — Their  Character — Their  Industries — Their 
Agriculture— Their  Religion— Their  Gods  Innumerable— In  the  Gall  of  Bitterness- 
Witchcraft— Muavi— A  Chiefs  Death— The  World's  Spiritual  Darkness— The  Need 
of  Christianity— Their  Moral  Life— The  Power  oi  Darkness. 

5 


CONTENTS 


VI.  REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  ....        84 

Dr  Black  and  Others— Valedictory  Meetings-Established  Church  Missionaries- 
Mr  Cotterill  and  Others— Departure— Dr  Stewart  as  Leader— Meeting  at  Port 
Elizabeth— Kilimane— Danger— Mr  Young  :  His  Journey  to  Matiti— Weary  Wait- 
ing—At Last  1  —  Overland  March  —  Mponda  Again  —  Arrival  at  the  Station  —  Mr 
Young's  Farewell— His  Triumphs  in  Africa— Dr  Stewart  at  Work— Improvements- 
Fugitive  Slaves  and  Others — To  the  Rescue  at  Blantyre  ! — Mr  James  Stewart — 
Missionary  Co-operation— Wekotani— Chimlolo^The  Kafir  Evangelists— Preach- 
ing— Another  lona — Civil  Administration  :  A  Dilemma — British  Protectorate — Dr 
Stewart's  Departure— Dr  Laws  to  the  Front. 

VII.  EARLY  MISSIONARY  EXPLORATION        .  .  .  .105 

Livingstone's  Principle— Difficulties  of  the  Work— First  Circumnavigation  of  Lake 
—Discoveries— "  Kungu  "  Mist— Mr  Cotterill's  Journeys— Death— Second  Circum- 
navigation— Mpemba — Jumbe — LosewaandChitesi — "War  Medicine" — North  End 
— Mankambira — Mr  James  Stewart's  Journeys — Value  of  Exploratory  Work. 

VIII.  EARLY  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK       .  .  .112 

The  Fourfold  Method — One  Work,  in  Four  Aspects — The  Evangelistic  Depart- 
ment—Difficulties—Week-Day Meeting— Astonishment  of  Natives— The  Church  in 
Embryo — Apparent  Failure — Missionary  "Nights  of  Toil" — Ultimate  Success  in 
God's  Work— The  Harvest  at  Last—  First-fruits— The  Educational  Department :  Its 
Necessity— Opening  of  the  School— The  Children  of  Nyasa— Their  Freedom  and 
Simplicity — Nature  of  Teaching — Good  Results  Accomplished — Industrial  Depart- 
ment :  Its  Value — Its  Necessity  in  Nyasaland — Agriculture — Native  Methods  of 
Raising  Crops — The  Mission  Fields  and  Gardens — Consul  Elton's  Commendation — 
— Roadmaking— The  Stewart  Road— Wages— Introduction  of  Money— Medical 
Department— An  Imitatio  Ckristi—lts  Influence— Wide  Scope  at  Cape  Maclear— 
Confidence  of  the  Natives — Chloroform — Literary  Department:  Its  Difficulties — 
Reduction  of  Language— Mr  Riddell  and  Dr  Laws— Primers  and  Other  Works- 
Mark's  Gospel-Value  of  Missionaries. 

IX.  LOSSES  AND  REMOVAL  TO  BANDAWE     .  .  .  .134 

God's  Footsteps  Unknown— Pestilence  and  Death— The  Old  Perplexity— Dr  Black 
— Shadrach,  Captain  Benzie,  John  Gunn— The  Cluster  of  Graves— Stepping-Stones 
to  Progress— Change  of  Site  necessary — Cape  Maclear  :  Its  Malaria — Its  Isolation 
— Its  Tsetst — Mr  Young's  Difficulties — Exploration  for  New  Site — Bandawe — Re- 
moval of  Mission — Travellers  and  Cape  Maclear — No  Failure — Importance  of 
Bandawe — Renewed  Work  and  Development— Blessings  in  Disguise. 


X.  THE  FIERCE  NGONI  .  .  .  .  .  .146 

Their  Nature  and  Ancestry—  Their  Brutal  Raids—  Their  Religion—  Visited  by  Dr 

William  Koyi  sent  to 
s—  Sickening  Sights— 


Laws—  By  John  W.  Moir  and  James  Stewart—  William  Koyi  sent  to  them—  Meeting 
ouncillors—  Work  Permitted—  No  Schools—  Sic 


of  Councillors—  Work  Permitted—  No  Schools—  Sickening  Sights—  J/«azn—  Indiffer- 
ence —  Dark  Clouds  —  Revisited  by  Dr  Laws  —  Begging  —  Fierce  Raids  —  Dr  Elmslie 
—Progress—  Turning-Point—Opening  of  Schools—  Koyi's  Death—  The  War  Spirit 
Revived  —  A  Crisis  —  Grand  Conference  —  Amicable  Settlement  —  Peace  and  Prosperity 
'  ' 


—  Ekwendeni  —  Mtwaro's  Death  —  Two  Baptisms  —  Dr  Steele  —  Mombera's  Death  — 
Gospel  Taking  Root—  A  Bloody  Raid—  Hora—  Mawelera—  A  new  Chief—  Victory 
the  Gospel  —  White  unto  Harvest  —  A  Communion  Season  —  Stupendous  Changes  1 


XI.  IN  FAR-OFF  REGIONS       ......      169 

Rapid  Advance  of  Christianity—  North  Nyasa  :  Chirenji—  Mr  Stewart—  Mr 
Bain:  his  Missionary  Tourneys—  His  Heroism—  Mr  Hugh  Mackintosh,  Dr  Ken- 
Cross,  Mrs  Cross—  Dark  Clouds—  Siege  of  Karonga  and  Arab  War—  Kararamuka 
—  Death  of  Mr  Bain  —  Wundali  —  Ngerenge  —  Karonga  —  Central  Ngoniland  : 


CONTENTS 


Chiwere's— Dutch  Reformed  Church— Rev.  A.  C.  Murray— Exploring  Expedition 
— The  Chief— The  School — Kongwe — Immense  Population— South  Nyasa :  Chikusi 
visited  by  Dr  Laws— By  Albert  Namalambe— Livlezi  Station— Dr  Henry  and  Mr 
M'Intyre— The  Fierce  Ngoni— Death  of  Mr  M'Intyre— Heroism  of  Dr  Henry- 
Death  of  Mrs  Henry— Gowa,  Mpondera— Death  of  Dr  Henry— Converts— Death  of 
Mr  James  Aitken — Dutch  Reformed  Church  takes  Charge— Gomani's  Opposition 
— Removal  to  Mkhoma — Good  out  of  Evil — Tanganyika  Plateau  :  Mwenzo — Fife 
—The  Warlike  Awemba— The  Mwenzo  Chiefs  Greed— Rev.  Alex.  Dewar-Mr  and 
Mrs  M'Calluir— Capture  of  Slavers— Progress  —  Other  Districts;  Kondowi— 
Kasungu's— What  hath  God  done! 

XII.  THE  SLAVE-TRADE         .  ,  .  ...       190 

Limits  of  Chapter— The  Well- Known  Story— Heartlessness  of  Slave-Dealers— 
Slavery  Inadmissible — Britain's  Efforts  at  Suppression — Increase  under  Portugal — 
Firmly  Established  at  the  Lake  in  1875— Duty  of  Missionaries— Christian  Influence 
— The  Mission  an  Anti-Slavery  Centre — Protection  of  "English" — Mr  Young  and 
Portuguese  Implication — Sultan  of  Zanzibar's  Proclamation  in  1876 — Consul  Elton's 
Visit  to  the  Lake — Failure  of  Proclamation — Rescue  Work  by  the  Missionaries — 
Wrath  of  Chiefs — Difficulties — Compensation  to  Owners — "Right  of  Sanctuary" — 
Missionaries  Forbidden  to  Liberate — Continued  Growth  of  Traffic — Appointment  of 
Consul  at  Nyasa — Berlin  Conference — Great  Arab  Invasion — Arabs  take  Nyasaland 
—War— Arab  Cruelty— Mohammedan  Hatred— Same  at  Blantyre— Arrival  of  Sir 
H.  H.  Johnston — Nyasaland  taken  over  by  Britain — Immense  Change — Brussels 
Conference — Forcible  Measures  against  Slavery—  Success  of  Campaign — Rest  at 
Last ! — Thanks  to  Christian  Missionaries. 

XIII.  CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE.       •''  i  "'       ,  ,  .  .      213 

Dr  Livingstone's  Views— Commerce  Necessary— The  Truest  Philanthropy— The 
Missionaries  as  Traders— A  Christian  Company  Suggested — Portuguese  Concessions 
— " Livingstonia  Trading  Company" — Its  Objects — Its  Benefits  to  Nyasaland: 
Checked  Slavery,  Better  Communication  with  Coast,  Helped  Natives,  Advanced 
Christianity — Its  Progress — Its  Steamers — Exports  and  Imports — Coffee  Introduced 
— Its  Peaceable  Character — Its  Temperance  Principles — Its  Agents  as  Missionaries 
— Monteith  Fotheringham— The  Two  Years'  War— Administration  of  Country- 
British  S.  A.  Company — "African  Lakes'  Corporation" — The  Stevenson  Road— 
James  Stewart's  Survey — His  Report — Mr  James  Stevenson's  Offer — His  Generosity 
and  Labours  for  Africa — Mr  Stewart  Commences — Murder  of  his  Porters — Change 
of  Plans— Success— Death  of  Mr  Stewart— Death  of  Mr  James  White— Lord 
Overtoun  as  Convener — W.  O.  M'Ewen— His  Labours — Mr  Munro's  Illness — Mr 
M'Ewen's  Death-Completion  of  Road— Value  of  it— March  of  God's  Providence- 
Future  Prospects. 

XIV.  PEACE  AND  GOODWILL  ..,..,      238 

Bloody  Wars  common— Brutal  Raids — Condemned  by  Mission — Testimony  of 
Mr  Joseph  Thomson — Spears  to  Pruning  Hooks — Lieut.  Young  and  the  Ngoni — 
Ngoni  and  Tonga  Wars — Change  through  Christianity — Testimony  of  British  Com- 
missioner— Instances  of  similar  Change  around  Bandawe— The  North  End — Livlezi 
— Mvera — Britain's  Peaceful  Acquisition  of  Nyasaland — Goodwill  to  Natives — 
Instances— The  Buntali  People— Benefits  to  Mission. 


XV.  AFRICA'S  EVILS    .  ,          ,  .  .  ,  .      251 

Dark  and  Horrible  Practices— Power  of  the  Gospel— Fear  of  Evil  Spirits— Their  Ac- 
tivity— Charms — Muavi  Poison  Ordeal — Instances — Interference  of  Missionaries — 
Courageous  Actions  of  Missionaries— Burying  People  with  Chief— Fighting  the  Tribe 
of  a  Deceased  Chief— Native  Dread  of  White  Man's  Power— Superstitious  View  of 
the  Bible— The  Rain  Question— Witch-Doctors—Polygamy— Christian  Marriages— 
The  Gospel  the  Power  of  God. 


8  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XVI.  IN  PERILS  OFT .264 

The  Missionary's  Lot— Perils  on  the  Rivers— Hostile  Chiefs— Ngoni  Wars,  1881- 
1887 — Preparation  for  Flight ! — Interruptions  to  free  Communication  with  Coast : 
Makolplo  Hostility — Machmjiri  War — Fighting  at  Mponda's — Appointment  of  Consul 
— Berlin  Compact — Invasion  of  Arab  Slave-dealers — Their  Campaign  of  Butchery — 
Siege  of  Karonga— Life  and  Death  Struggle  !— War  on  the  Arabs— Makanjila's 
Insults— Second  Expedition— Third  Expedition— Appeal  to  H.  M.  Government— 
The  Sultan's  Letter— Mission  of  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston— Cessation  of  War— Chikusi— 
The  Wemba— Fever— Sunstroke— Famine— Wild  Beasts— What  Missionary  Life 
Involves. 

XVII.  OUR  CLAIM  TO  NYASALAND    .  .  .  .  .289 

Deputations  and  Memorials  to  Foreign  Office  in  1885 — European  Scramble  for 
Africa — Portuguese  Attempts  on  Nyasaland — Britain's  Rights  to  the  Territory — 
Efforts  to  prevent  Portuguese  Annexation — Increase  of  Tariff  and  Seizure  of  James 
Stevenson— Portugal's  Unjust  Claim  and  British  Objections  to  it — The  Case  for 
Britain — Necessity  for  Action — Memorials  and  Conferences  in  i888^-Government 
Assurances — Portugal's  Insistence  on  her  Claim — Matters  at  a  Standstill — Sir  H.  H. 
Johnston  in  Lisbon — Matters  Worse — Serpa  Pinto's  Expedition — Further  Corre- 
spondence and  Public  Meetings — Interviews  with  Lord  Salisbury — Discovery  of 
Chinde  Mouth— Johnston  in  Nyasaland — Portuguese  Aggression — British  Ultimatum 
—Treaties  Concluded  with  Chiefs — Nyasaland  made  British — Cardinal  Lavigerie's 
Plans  Upset — Portuguese  Convention— German  Encroachments — Representations  to 
Berlin — Disappointing  Result — General  Result  Satisfactory. 

XVIII.  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK.  .  .  .307 

Evangelistic  Department :  Instance  of  Work — Second  Convert — Drummond's 
Visit — Native  Evangelists — Preacher's  Class — Evangelistic  Tours — Great  Awakening 
— Elders  and  Deacons  Ordained — New  Church  at  Bandaw6 — Triumphant  Success— 
The  Future — Educational  Department :  Importance  of  it — Difficulties — Scripture 


Teaching— Adults  at  School— Boarders— Vast  Progress— Industrial  Department : 
Native  Laziness — Brickmaking — Building — Printing — The  "Aurora"— Enormous 
Change  on  Country— Present  Civilisation — Medical  Department :  Nature  of  Work 


Native  Laziness — Brickmaking — Building — Printing — The  "  Aurora"— Enormous 
Change  on  Country— Present  Civilisation — Medical  Department :  Nature  of  Work 
— "  Unqualified"  Doctors — Chloroform — Variety  of  Cases — Itinerancy — Influence  of 


— "  Unqualified  Doctors — Unlorotorm — Variety  ot  Cases — Itinerancy — InHueno 
Medical  Work— Difficulties— Number  of  Cases— Arabs,  Europeans,  and  oth 
treated — Literary  Department :  Translation — Number  of  Languages — Nyanja  New 
Testament— A  Common  Nyanja  Bible— Translations  by  Dr  Laws  and  his  Staff— 
Their  Philological  Value—  Work  among  Wotnen  :  Importance  of  it— Early  Work- 
Mrs  Laws  and  Others— The  Women  of  Nyasaland— Appointment  of  Women  Mission- 
aries— Success  at  Last — Character  of  Converts  :  Drummond's  Testimony—  Op- 
ponents of  Foreign  Missions. 

XIX.  THE  INSTITUTION  .  .  .  .  •      337 

Lpvedale  and  Blythswood — Necessity  of  a  Livingstonia  Institution  :  For  Training 
Native  Evangelists — Mackay  of  Uganda's  Plan — Also  necessary  owing  to  Progress 
of  Country—Choosing  of  Site  at  Mount  Waller — Improvement  of  Place— Gift  of 
Land — Telegraph  and  Telephone  Connection — Number  of  Pupils — Diversity  of 
Tongues — Programme  of  Study — Pupil's  Desire  to  Learn — Preachers'  Class — Donald 
Eraser's  Report  of  Work— Value  of  Institution. 

XX.  CONCLUSION         .......      349 

APPENDIX       J  «  ,  .  .  .  .  .  .      357 

INDEX 361 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PACK 

PORTRAIT  OF  DR  LIVINGSTONE         «  «  •  •     Frontispiece 

RUMPI  RIVER   .  ;  .  •  .  .  .  .22 

MRS  LIVINGSTONE'S  GRAVE  AT  SHUPANGA  ON  THE  RIVER  ZAMBESI        44 
KAZICHI  FALL  .  .  .  .  »  •  .62 

NATIVE  POULTRY  HOUSE         ......        72 

PORTRAIT  OF  THE  REV.  DR  LAWS    .  ,  .  .  .104 

PAY-DAY  AT  THE  INSTITUTION       •   .  .  .  .  .      126 

BANDAWE  FROM  THE  HILL     ......       144 

HORA  MISSION  HOUSE  AND  NJUYU  MISSION  HOUSE  AND  SCHOOL  164 
NATIVE  GRAIN  STORE  AND  HUT,  BANDAWE,  AND  MISSION  HOUSE, 

MWENZO     .  ...  .  .  .  .186 

TURBINE  FALLS  ON  THE  MANCHEWE  .  .  .  .213 

POUNDING  AND  SIFTING  CASSAVA      .  .  .  .239 

BANDAWE  MISSION  HOUSE  AND  THE  SCHOOL,  BANDAWE  .  .      267 

MOUNT  WALLER  FROM  THE  WEST     .....      297 

OPEN-AIR  SCHOOL  OF  MEN  AND  BRICKMAKING  .  .  .319 

GIRLS  AT  LIVINGSTONIA  INSTITUTION  .  .  .  -337 

GROUND  PLAN  OF  THE  SITE  OF  THE  LIVINGSTONIA  MISSIONARY 

INSTITUTION          .......      346 


PREFACE 

THE  writer  has  not  the  honour  of  being  a  missionary  in  Central 
Africa,  or  even  a  traveller  in  any  of  those  interesting  regions.  But 
he  has  had  a  long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  Livingstonia 
Mission,  first  induced  by  a  study  of  the  great  explorer's  life  and 
work.  Lately  also,  when  writing  some  historical  sketches  of  the 
Mission,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Perth  Free  Church  Presbytery, 
he  has  had  access  to  the  letters  and  documents,  both  private  and 
official,  which  are  in  the  possession  of  the  Livingstonia  Committee 
in  Glasgow,  or  are  preserved  at  the  Free  Church  Offices,  Edinburgh. 
These  facts,  together  with  the  deep  and  ever-growing  popular 
interest  in  Foreign  Missions,  must  be  his  apology  for  offering  the 
following  chapters  to  public  notice. 

From  what  he  has  been  privileged  to  read,  he  feels  sure  that 
too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  the  magnificent,  self-sacrificing 
work  of  Dr  Laws,  the  direct  missionary  successor  of  David 
Livingstone  and  the  oldest  living  pioneer  in  British  Central  Africa, 
as  well  as  of  his  devoted  colleagues,  many  of  whom  are  medical 
men  with  full  British  qualifications.  But  he  hopes  that  he  has 
said  sufficient  to  imbue  the  reader  with  the  same  profound  admira 
tion  for  their  work  that  he  has  himself. 

If  these  pages  should  be  the  means  of  diffusing  more  light  and 
knowledge  regarding  this  most  interesting  Mission,  and  of  giving 
it  a  larger  place  in  the  hearts  of  some,  he  will  feel  satisfied  and 
will  consider  his  efforts  more  than  rewarded. 

GLENFARG,  November  1900. 


INTRODUCTION 

IT  is  with  pleasure  that  I  accede  to  the  request,  that  I  should 
write  a  few  words  of  introduction  to  the  work  of  the  Rev.  Mr 
Jack.  No  one  can  read  the  following  pages  without  seeing  God's 
guiding  hand  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  as  its  story  is  thus 
gradually  unfolded.  Alike  in  the  time  and  circumstances  of  its 
inception,  through  the  years  of  preparation  and  seed  sowing,  on 
to  the  whitening  of  the  fields  and  the  beginning  of  a  harvest  full 
of  bountiful  promise,  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  the  Lord  have 
been  manifested.  So  to  Him  we  ascribe  all  the  honour,  glory, 
dominion  and  power,  acknowledging  Him  as  the  source  of  all  the 
blessing  in  which  we  now  rejoice,  while  with  humble  gratitude  we 
praise  Him  for  the  redemption  He  has  brought  to  many  and  is 
still  bringing  to  other  tribes  of  that  so  long  benighted  land.  God's 
abundant  blessings,  on  work  already  done,  are  but  His  challenge 
to  His  people  to  attempt  greater  things  for  Him,  that  He  may 
give  larger  answers  to  unrestrained  prayer,  and  crown  increased 
endeavour  for  the  extension  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  by  the 
ingathering  of  multitudes  to  the  Saviour's  fold. 

With  regard  to  Mr  Jack's  work  itself,  the  most  striking  feature 
of  it  to  me,  is  the  surprising  accuracy  displayed  in  his  statement 
of  the  facts  of  the  Mission  history.  That  he  should  have  been 
able  to  set  these  before  his  readers  in  the  way  he  has  done,  tells 
of  an  immense  amount  of  patient  toil  on  his  part,  in  his  effort  to 
become  master  of  the  details  of  which  he  writes,  and  of  equal  care 
and  trouble  in  their  presentation.  In  every  such  account  of 
Mission  work,  truth  as  to  facts  and  their  setting  is  of  paramount 
importance.  For  one  who  has  never  been  in  Africa,  nor  been 
engaged  in  the  actual  work  of  the  Mission,  the  success  with  which, 


I4  INTRODUCTION 

by  patient,  persevering  labour  he  has  been  able  to  do  so,  is  indeed 
wonderful.  Love  to  the  Master  and  the  Master's  cause  has  been 
the  motive  guiding  the  writer's  pen.  I  trust  that  by  God's  bless- 
ing the  circulation  of  this  book  may  awaken  many  to  the  great 
need,  not  only  of  the  field  occupied  by  the  Livingstonia  Mission, 
but  of  the  whole  of  the  Dark  Continent,  and  that  this  may  lead  to 
more  earnest  intercession,  greater  effort,  and  renewed  consecration 
of  person  and  property  for  the  Master's  use  in  His  service  at 
home  and  abroad.  Such  results  would  be  the  author's  best 
reward,  and  also  redound  to  the  Glory  of  God. 

ROBERT  LAWS. 
EDINBURGH,  October  1900. 


DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 


CHAPTER  I 
ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION 

FROM  the  dawn  of  history  the  Dark  Continent  of  Africa  has  been 
the  scene  of  perilous  adventure  and  persevering  research.  Greeks, 
Romans,  Arabs,  Portuguese,  Christian  missionaries,  and  others 
have  all  explored  the  unknown  interior  in  some  part  or  another, 
bringing  back  tales  of  the  deadly  malaria  and  the  savage  condition 
of  the  tribes. 

Many  centuries  ago,  the  Arabs,  eager  for  war  and  commerce, 
penetrated  inland.  They  traversed  the  Sahara,  settled  down  in 
the  region  of  the  Niger,  and  even  found  their  way  to  the  Senegal 
and  Gambia  rivers  on  the  west  coast.  Later  on  the  Portuguese 
explored  the  Continent  with  indomitable  ardour.  Under  the 
superintendence  of  Don  Henry,  they  prosecuted  the  work  un- 
ceasingly for  forty  years.  In  after  years  Bartholomew  Diaz, 
Vasco  de  Gama,  and  other  Portuguese  travellers  sailed  along  its 
coasts,  each  one  pushing  beyond  the  point  reached  by  his  pre- 
decessor. But  little  more  was  done  in  the  matter  until  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  Bruce,  our  own  countryman,  went 
forth  to  discover  the  source  of  the  Nile,  and  the  African  Associa- 
tion sent  out  Mungo  Park  to  the  Niger.  From  that  time  onward 
the  zeal  to  explore  the  unknown  interior  steadily  increased  until 
it  became  a  vehement  passion.  Scores  of  travellers,  not  only 
British,  but  of  various  nationalities,  undertook  the  arduous  task, 
most  of  them  perishing  in  the  attempt,  and  all  of  them  leaving 
behind  them  a  sorrowful  record  of  their  sufferings.  "  Africa,"  one 
of  them  said,  "  is  a  bourne  from  which  few  travellers  return,  a  path 
of  glory  that  leads  but  to  the  grave."  Some  of  these  explorers 
have  done  little  good,  and  their  names  are  almost  unknown  to  the 
ordinary  reader ;  others,  for  their  high  resolve,  invincible  courage, 


1 6  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

noble  self-sacrifice,  and  Christian  conduct,  are  now  numbered 
among  the  world's  heroes. 

But  by  far  the  most  conspicuous  explorer  was  David  Livingstone, 
whose  life  was  a  sublime  consecration  to  the  good  of  Africa.  Of 
all  the  long  and  noble  succession,  he  stands  out  the  most  illustrious, 
the  most  heroic,  and  the  most  Christlike.  Until  he  appeared  on 
the  scene  no  one  knew  what  secrets  the  folded  darkness  of  that 
land  contained.  In  spite  of  centuries  of  arduous  research,  little 
information  had  been  obtained  regarding  the  interior.  It  was 
still  a  Dark  Continent — to  a  great  extent  regarded  as  a  vast 
wilderness  of  sand,  with  a  fringe  of  settlements  round  the  coast. 
The  borders  of  trie  country  were  known  tolerably  well.  Man- 
kind had  been  made  familiar  with  the  northern  part — Egypt,  the 
Red  Sea,  and  the  Nile ;  and  with  the  southern  part — the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  and  the  adjacent  territory.  Something  was  known 
of  a  few  places  on  the  eastern  coast,  such  as  Zanzibar,  Kilimane, 
the  mouths  of  the  Zambesi  and  Rovuma  rivers ;  and  on  the 
western  coast,  such  as  Loanda,  the  Cameroons,  the  mouths  of 
the  Niger  and  Congo  rivers.  But  the  world  was  still  in  ignorance 
of  the  great  interior.  The  most  of  the  Continent  was  a  blank,  a 
matter  of  speculation,  until  Livingstone  set  himself  to  the  opening 
up  of  it. 

He  reached  South  Africa  in  1840,  and  after  being  settled  for 
some  time  at  Kuruman,  to  the  south  of  the  Kalahari  Desert, 
he  ventured  northward  and  westward,  discovering  Lake  Ngami, 
and  striking  the  river  Zambesi  in  the  very  centre  of  the  Continent, 
where  its  existence  had  never  been  suspected.  Continuing  his 
travels,  he  passed  through  rich,  fertile,  and  populous  regions,  and 
came  out  on  the  west  coast  at  St  Paul  de  Loanda.  He  then 
recrossed  the  Continent,  following  the  course  of  the  Zambesi, 
and  arrived  at  Kilimane,  on  the  east  coast.  One  of  the  most 
remarkable  sights  which  he  beheld  on  this  return  journey  was 
the  great  waterfall  on  the  Zambesi,  called  by  him  the  Victoria 
Falls,  fully  a  mile  wide,  and  with  a  chasm  twice  as  deep  as 
Niagara. 

When  he  returned  home  for  the  first  time,  in  1856,  and  wrote 
his  book  called  "Missionary  Travels,"  which  filled  up  such  a 
great  space  in  the  map  of  Africa,  the  people  of  Britain  and  of  the 
whole  civilised  world  came  to  have  quite  a  new  conception  of  this 
dark  land,  and  to  know  something  of  its  woes  and  sorrows. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION  17 

Livingstone's  travels  gave  them  accurate  information  regarding  an 
enormous  area.  The  central  part  was  now  found  to  be  a  rich 
tropical  region,  with  broad,  flowing  rivers,  and  wide,  spreading 
lakes,  gigantic  mountains  covered  to  the  summit  with  the 
finest  timber,  fertile  plains  whose  soil  would  well  repay  cultiva- 
tion, and  with  a  teeming  mass  of  people  sunk  in  wretchedness 
and  ignorance.  Many  people  remember  yet  how  deeply  his 
audiences  were  affected  by  the  glowing  pictures  which  he  gave 
of  African  life,  how  he  would  make  their  flesh  creep  by  his 
tales  of  the  murder  and  devastation  carried  on  by  Arabs  and 
Portuguese,  and  how  earnestly  he  appealed  to  the  Christians  of 
Britain  for  help. 

He  left  for  Africa  again — for  the  Zambesi  district,  in  1858. 
This  time  it  was  the  British  Government  that  sent  him  there,  as 
Consul-General,  to  suppress  slavery  and  develop  the  country.  But 
as  the  cost  of  the  undertaking  proved  to  be  immense,  he  was  at 
last  recalled,  and  returned  to  Britain  in  1864.  The  subsequent 
appearance  of  his  book,  "The  Zambesi  and  its  Tributaries," 
showed  what  valuable  work  he  had  accomplished  for  Christendom 
during  this  second  expedition.  In  addition  to  indirect  missionary 
labour,  he  had  discovered  the  Shire*  tributary  of  the  Zambesi, 
Lakes  Nyasa  and  Shirwa,  and  important  regions  to  the  north. 
The  thrilling  descriptions  which  the  book  gave  of  the  country, 
especially  of  the  Nyasa  district,  caused  no  small  amount  of 
sensation.  No  country  at  the  time  seemed  to  be  more  interesting 
to  the  world  than  Africa ;  and  when  people  now  came  to  realise 
more  than  ever  the  noble  simplicity  of  the  man,  his  unaffected 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  Africa,  his  undaunted  courage  in  the  midst 
of  manifold  sufferings,  and  the  deep  interest  with  which  he  looked 
forward  to  a  third  and  still  greater  expedition,  all  Christendom 
regarded  him  with  the  deepest  affection,  and  loaded  him  with  the 
highest  honours. 

Perhaps  the  thing  which  thrilled  the  hearts  of  all  Christian 
people  more  than  anything  else  was  his  descriptions  of  the  dreadful, 
devastating,  demoralising  traffic  in  slaves,  which  had  been  intro- 
duced into  the  country  by  Mohammedan  Arabs,  and  was  continued 
in  various  parts  by  Portuguese  officials.  "Blood,  blood,  every- 
where blood,"  he  exclaimed  in  agony  of  soul.  Skeletons  covered 
the  paths.  Bodies,  too  numerous  for  the  crocodiles  to  devour, 
floated  down  the  streams.  Men,  women,  and  children  were  sold 


i8  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

for  less  than  cattle — the  price  of  a  boy  being  only  two  yards  01 
calico  !  Desolation  was  everywhere  spread.  He  traversed  regions 
in  which  fragments  of  pottery  were  strewn  around.  He  saw  ridges 
upon  ridges  where  sorghum,  cassava,  and  other  native  products 
had  once  been  raised  in  great  abundance.  He  passed  by  many 
native  smelting  works,  in  good  condition,  but  all  abandoned. 
Almost  everywhere  there  were  indications  of  a  large  population 
having  existed  shortly  before ;  but  now  all  was  desolation  through 
the  withering  curse  of  slavery.  People  felt  that  he  had  rendered 
invaluable  service  to  humanity,  if  it  were  for  nothing  else  than  his 
exposure  of  this  hideous  evil,  wrung  out  of  the  groans  of  Africa's 
sons  and  daughters.  He  declared  it  to  be  the  great  "  open  sore 
of  the  world,"  which,  so  long  as  it  was  unhealed,  would  prevent 
the  spread  of  civilisation  and  Christianity  in  Africa.  His  earnest 
and  continuous  prayer,  as  he  wrote  at  the  end  of  his  life,  was  that 
"  Heaven's  rich  blessing "  would  come  down  on  every  one  who 
would  help  to  heal  it. 

By  all  these  remarkable  discoveries  of  Dr  Livingstone,  and  by 
these  two  visits  home  in  1856  and  1864,  the  missionary  cause, 
especially  in  Africa,  was  immensely  strengthened.  Few  can  listen 
to  any  great  missionary  revelations  without  having  their  hearts 
turned  out  of  their  own  narrow  circle,  and  having  their  spirits 
lifted  upwards.  Some  influence — heavenly  and  miraculous — acts 
upon  their  sympathies,  and  constrains  them  to  think  of  the  woes 
and  miseries  of  the  dark  places  of  the  earth,  full  of  abomination 
and  cruelty.  So  was  it  on  the  return  home  of  this  illustrious 
missionary.  Men  and  women,  all  over  the  kingdom,  had  their 
minds  opened  and  their  spirits  enlarged.  They  were  led  to  take 
a  genuine  and  practical  interest  in  missionary  effort.  His  living 
voice  and  peerless  testimony  did  more  good  in  this  matter  than 
scores  of  eloquent  sermons.  Every  speech  he  uttered  sounded 
an  alarm,  loud  as  a  trumpet  peal,  startling  the  sleeping  churches 
into  a  consciousness  of  their  duty.  African  missions,  especially, 
received  a  remarkable  impulse.  As  Christians  listened  to  his  tales 
of  Africa's  barbarism  and  ignorance,  their  souls  were  stirred  within 
them — stirred  with  enthusiasm  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  with 
pity  for  miserable  men  in  that  land  of  darkness.  The  story  of  his 
travels  did  for  Africa  what  Cook's  voyages  and  discoveries  did  for 
the  Sandwich  and  other  islands. 

Many  countries  were  moved  by  this  wave  of  missionary  en- 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION  19 

thusiasm  produced  by  Livingstone's  labours;  but  Scotland  in 
particular  felt  the  power  of  it.  Livingstone  was  a  son  of  Scotland, 
born  and  bred  amid  her  rugged  scenes,  and  she  felt  more  pro- 
foundly impressed  by  his  labours  than  any  other  civilised  country. 
She  awoke  to  a  new  missionary  life.  She  became  specially 
interested  in  Africa,  and  manifested  a  profound  desire  for  the 
highest  welfare  of  the  African  people.  She  had  always  taken  an 
interest  in  this  mysterious  Continent.  From  the  time  of  Bruce  of 
Kinnaird,  she  had  been  in  the  forefront  in  African  research ;  and 
ever  since  1796,  when  the  Scottish  Missionary  Society  and  the 
Glasgow  Missionary  Society  were  formed,  she  had  taken  a  leading 
part  in  the  evangelisation  of  Africa.  She  had  founded  important 
missions  among  the  Kafirs  and  Zulus,  and  had  given  most  dis- 
tinguished men  to  the  services  of  these  dark  races.  But  now  her 
interest  in  Africa  became  intense.  As  Livingstone  endeavoured 
to  open  it  up  from  circumference  to  centre,  to  establish  pathways 
for  legitimate  commerce,  and  to  bring  the  whole  Continent  with 
its  teeming  millions  into  sight  and  sympathy  with  Christendom, 
she  felt  something  of  his  eager  enthusiasm,  rejoicing  that  one  of 
her  own  sons,  so  magnanimous  and  self-denying,  was  spending  his 
life  for  Africa's  salvation. 

Among  the  earnest  Scottish  spirits  who  came  under  the  influence 
of  this  missionary  spell,  and  whose  deepest  sympathies  went  out 
to  ignorant  and  enslaved  Africa,  was  a  young  Edinburgh  graduate 
and  student  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  Rev.  James  Stewart, 
better  known  now  as  Dr  Stewart,  F.R.G.S.,  of  Lovedale,  South 
Africa.  He  it  is  who  was  the  original  promoter  of  this  Living- 
stonia  Mission  in  British  Central  Africa,  and  who  was  ultimately 
the  means  of  its  establishment.  With  him,  therefore,  begins  the 
history  of  it.  Under  the  inspiration  of  David  Livingstone's  life 
and  labours,  he  resolved  to  do  something  to  alleviate  the  woes  of 
Africa,  and  plant  the  banner  of  the  Cross  among  its  dark-skinned 
races.  The  idea  was  first  entertained  by  him  as  early  as  1860, 
shortly  after  Dr  Livingstone's  first  visit  home.  His  desire  was  to 
commence  an  effective  mission  without  delay,  to  be  opened  some- 
where in  the  districts  of  Central  Africa  explored  by  this  renowned 
Scotsman,  and  to  embrace  the  ordinary  evangelistic,  medical,  and 
other  modes  of  operation.  He  saw  that,  if  recent  discoveries  in 
Africa  were  not  used  for  missionary  effort,  evil  rather  than  good 
might  result ;  and  so  he  was  prepared  to  undertake  the  enterprise 


20  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

along  with  others,  as  soon  as  the  necessary  arrangements  could  be 
made.  It  was  a  great,  magnificent,  sublime  idea,  more  like  the 
dream  of  a  visionary  enthusiast  than  the  conception  of  a  calm, 
thoughtful  mind.  But  God  was  in  it,  as  truly  as  in  every  great 
missionary  undertaking. 

When  the  matter  had  been  well  considered  and  discussed  by 
himself  and  a  few  private  friends,  they  proposed  it  to  the  Foreign 
Missions  Committee  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland — at  this 
time  under  the  indefatigable  Convenership  of  Dr  Tweedie.  But 
here  they  met  their  first  difficulty.  The  Free  Church  was  already 
taking  a  great  share  in  the  evangelisation  of  Africa.  The  hands 
of  her  Committee  were  already  full  with  important  engagements  in 
India,  and  in  Kafraria,  South  Africa.  The  Kafrarian  Mission,  with 
its  stations  at  Lovedale,  Pirie,  and  Macfarlan,  and  its  seven  Free 
Church  missionaries,  required  an  annual  expenditure  of  about 
^"2000,  and  there  was  an  urgent  necessity  for  further  progress 
and  expansion  in  this  southern  part  of  Africa.  For  some  time, 
therefore,  the  Committee  would  scarcely  consider  this  new  proposal. 
They  held  that  it  was  impracticable,  unless  funds  were  raised  for 
such  a  mission  apart  from  and  independent  of  the  existing  revenue. 
But  as  the  enthusiasm  and  courage  of  this  young  graduate  and 
his  supporters  showed  no  signs  of  abating,  and  as  a  few  liberal 
friends  of  Africa  came  forward  and  volunteered  to  help,  so  that 
there  might  be  little  or  no  encroaching  on  the  funds  of  the 
Church,  they  at  last  considered  the  question  carefully  and  seriously. 
Their  decision,  however,  was  unfavourable.  They  intimated  that 
they  could  not  entertain  the  idea.  But  they  suggested  to  Dr 
Stewart  that  he  should,  on  his  own  account,  communicate  with 
Dr  Livingstone,  who  was  at  this  time  on  his  great  Zambesi 
expedition,  and  send  out  enquiries  to  him  regarding  the  possibility 
and  success  of  such  a  mission.  Evidently,  they  were  anxious, 
perhaps  for  financial  reasons,  not  to  have  too  much  responsibility 
in  the  matter. 

Dr  Stewart  accordingly  drafted  a  list  of  twenty  enquiries, 
relating  to  many  essential  points,  but  especially  to  the  possibility 
of  a  suitable  locality  for  the  mission,  with  healthy  position, 
sufficient  population,  and  easy  access.  These  enquiries  he  trans- 
mitted to  the  great  explorer  through  the  Foreign  Office,  on  2nd 
November,  1860.  He  also  formed  a  most  influential  committee 
of  eighteen  members,  with  Mr  James  Cunningham,  of  Edinburgh, 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION  21 

as  Convener,  and  including  the  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  Mr 
Murray  Dunlop,  M.P.,  Professors  Cunningham  and  Smeaton, 
Drs  Candlish,  Roxburgh,  and  Tweedie,  Messrs  Robert  A.  Macfie, 
of  Liverpool,  Nathaniel  Stevenson,  of  Glasgow,  a'nd  other  well- 
known  men.  This  new  Committee  did  not  wait  on  Dr  Livingstohe's 
reply.  At  their  second  meeting,  in  April  1861,  they  resolved  to 
send  out  Dr  Stewart  to  meet  this  intrepid  explorer,  with  the  view 
of  interviewing  him  personally,  and  gathering  information  on  the 
spot  as  to  the  best  locality.  Three  months  later,  Dr  Stewart 
sailed  for  Africa,  along  with  Mrs  Livingstone,  who  wished  to  join 
her  husband. 

Dr  Livingstone,  who  at  this  time  was  encountering  innumerable 
difficulties  and  disappointments  on  the  Zambesi,  was  greatly 
cheered  by  the  arrival  of  Dr  Stewart.  He  gave  him  all  needful 
information,  and  recommended  Lake  Nyasa  as  a  most  suitable 
sphere  for  the  proposed  mission.  He  was  anxious  that  the 
banner  of  the  Gospel  should  be  planted  in  this  slave  market  of 
Central  Africa,  to  check  the  dreadful  evil,  and  bring  the  kindly 
light  of  heaven  to  Nyasa's  children.  He  wrote  earnestly  to  Drs 
Tweedie  and  Candlish  on  the  subject.  He  was  even  willing  to 
hand  over  his  small  steamer,  the  Lady  Nyasa,  and  many  other 
things  to  aid  the  undertaking — so  great  was  his  confidence  in  the 
Free  Church,  and  so  deep  his  desire  for  the  welfare  of  Africa. 

Dr  Stewart  remained  with  the  heroic  missionary  for  a  long 
time,  and  then  started  by  himself  on  a  reconnaisance  of  the 
Zambesi  and  Shire*  districts,  exploring  the  Zambesi  as  far  as  the 
Kebrabasa  Rapids,  visiting  the  Shire*  Highlands,  and  remaining 
some  time  at  Chibisa's  on  the  Lower  Shire",  where  the  Universities' 
Mission,  planted  by  Livingstone  in  1861,  was  settled.  But  after 
many  months'  experience  of  the  country,  he  concluded  that  it 
would  be  impracticable  to  carry  out  such  a  project  as  that 
proposed.  In  the  first  place,  the  condition  of  the  country  had 
almost  suddenly  changed,  being  now  worse  than  ever,  utterly 
desolated  and  filled  with  slaving  wars.  "The  country  is 
completely  disorganised,"  wrote  Dr  Livingstone  from  the  Shire' 
river  to  him,  "  and  a  new  system  must  be  introduced  with  a  strong 
hand.  We  have  counted  thirty-two  dead  bodies  floating  down 
the  stream,  and  scarcely  a  soul  is  to  be  seen  in  the  Lower  Shire* 
valley.  Where  last  year,  or  1861,  we  could  purchase  any 
amount  of  provisions  at  the  cheapest  rates,  we  could  see  but  a 


22  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

few  starving  wretches,  fishing  and  collecting  the  seeds  of  grass.  I 
never  witnessed  such  a  change.  It  is  a  desert,  and  dead  bodies 
lie  everywhere.  I  fear  that  your  friends  may  find,  in  the  deaths 
and  disorders,  reason  for  declining  all  share  in  the  work  of 
renovation,  but  it  will  be  done  by  those  who  are  to  do  it,  and  the 
devil's  reign  must  cease."  In  addition,  the  Universities'  Mission 
came  to  a  disastrous  failure,  the  Bishop  and  others  being  cut  off 
by  fever.  For  these  reasons,  Dr  Stewart  considered  that  no 
decisive  action  could  be  taken  at  that  time.  No  mission,  he 
thought,  could  really  be  planted  and  supported  in  Central  Africa 
under  the  circumstances. 

Dr  Livingstone  would  have  preferred  that  Dr  Stewart  had  arrived 
at  a  different  decision.  In  spite  of  adverse  circumstances,  this 
heroic  soul  was  anxious  for  the  mission  to  go  on.  He  was  certainly 
not  over-sanguine,  but  he  thought  that  the  project  was  feasible,  and 
was  somewhat  disappointed  afterwards,  when  he  heard  of  Dr 
Stewart's  decision.  Perhaps  his  love  for  Africa  carried  him  away, 
but  his  opinion  on  the  matter  is  a  striking  testimony  to  his 
unbounded  energy  and  perseverance. 

Dr  Stewart  returned  to  Scotland  in  November  1863,  after  an 
absence  of  over  two  years,  his  stay  having  been  prolonged  for 
several  months  by  a  visit  to  the  various  stations  in  Kafraria,  which 
he  undertook  at  the  request  of  the  Foreign  Missions  Committee. 
We  need  not  enter  into  the  details  of  the  long  report  which  he 
gave  to  the  new  Committee.  We  need  only  say  that  while  Nyasa- 
land  was  found  to  be  the  most  suitable  sphere,  it  was  resolved 
after  all,  in  accordance  with  the  report,  not  to  do  anything — for 
some  time  at  least.  The  Committee  was  dissolved ;  and  instead 
of  opening  up  a  mission  beside  this  "  Lake  of  the  Stars,"  Dr  Stewart 
was  appointed  by  the  Free  Church  as  a  missionary  to  Lovedale, 
and  along  with  his  wife,  left  Britain  in  November  1866,  to  take 
charge  of  the  Institution  there.  With  that  Institution — now  an 
immense  missionary  centre — he  has  been  ever  since  connected  as 
its  energetic  and  successful  leader.  Thus  ended  the  first  en- 
deavour to  plant  a  mission  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Nyasa. 

But  the  matter  was  not  dead.  David  Livingstone  was  still  to 
the  front.  In  1866,  about  the  same  time  that  Dr  Stewart  left  for 
Lovedale,  that  unwearied  Christian  traveller  set  out  on  his  third 
and  last  journey,  on  the  greatest  of  all  his  expeditions,  with  the 
object  of  discovering  where  the  northern  streams  of  Central  Africa 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION  23 

flowed  to.  Twice  during  this  remarkable  journey  he  was  thought 
to  be  dead  or  lost.  On  the  first  occasion,  while  he  was  in  the 
wilds  of  the  interior,  a  number  of  his  men  deserted  him,  and  spread 
the  report  that  he  was  dead.  A  young  Christian  officer,  Mr  E.  D. 
Young,  who  afterwards  became  one  of  the  first  Livingstonia  Mission 
party,  went  to  Lake  Nyasa  in  search  of  him,  and  managed  to  obtain 
evidence  that  he  was  still  alive  and  active,  and  that  these  men  had 
told  many  lies.  Three  more  years  passed  away  without  any  direct 
word  from  him.  Where  he  was,  and  whether  dead  or  alive,  no  one 
knew.  As  a  result  of  the  public  anxiety,  the  manager  of  the  New 
York  Herald  sent  Mr  Henry  M.  Stanley  in  search  of  him.  "  Go 
and  find  Livingstone,"  he  said.  Almost  everybody  knows  how, 
in  1871,  Stanley  found  him  at  Ujiji,  on  the  east  coast  of  Lake 
Tanganyika,  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  and  begged  him  to  return  home. 
"No,  no,"  he  said  to  Stanley,  "it  must  not  be.  I  must  finish  my 
task." 

Once  more  he  plunged  into  the  "  palpable  obscure,"  and  pursued 
his  lonely  way,  through  days  of  hunger  and  weariness,  and  nights 
of  dreadful  loneliness  in  African  villages.  At  last  his  strong  will 
and  iron  frame  had  to  succumb,  and  the  weary  hero  said  to  his 
attendants,  "  Build  me  a  hut  to  die  in."  They  built  it  at  Ilala,  and 
there  on  May  ist,  1873,  he  died  on  his  knees  amid  the  swamps  of 
Lake  Bangweolo,  overcome  by  work  and  sickness.  He  died,  we 
may  say,  praying  for  Africa — for  its  manifold  sins  and  sorrows,  and 
for  the  dawn  of  Heaven's  light  over  its  dark  regions ;  and  certainly 
there  could  not  have  been  a  finer  termination  to  his  noble  life. 
Most  of  our  readers  know  how  his  faithful  attendants,  Chuma  and 
Susi,  buried  his  heart  under  a  great  tree  at  Ilala ;  how  they  em- 
balmed his  body  and  returned  with  it  to  the  coast ;  how  Britain 
shed  tears  of  sorrow  over  his  death ;  how  our  Queen  sent  leaves  of 
palm  to  cover  his  bier ;  and  how  he  was  laid  to  rest  in  Westminster 
Abbey  side  by  side  with  Britain's  great  philanthropists  and  bene- 
factors— none  braver  or  more  Christlike  than  himself. 

Through  this  self-sacrificing  death  the  whole  matter  of  a  mission 
in  Central  Africa  became  alive  again.  A  new  thrill  of  missionary 
enthusiasm  went  through  Scotland,  which  did  more  for  Africa  than 
many  years  of  Livingstone's  life.  The  thrill  was  felt  by  statesmen, 
by  merchants,  by  travellers,  and  by  the  whole  Christian  Church. 
The  noble  achievements  and  Christlike  sufferings  of  this  great 
missionary,  had  done  much  to  influence  Scotland ;  but  his  death, 


24  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

with  its  loneliness  and  its  other  touching  circumstances,  stirred  his 
native  land  to  the  very  heart.  His  dying  cry  could  not  pass 
unheeded.  And  when,  at  that  never-to-be-forgotten  assembly  at 
Westminster  Abbey,  on  April  i8th,  1874,  his  last  earthly  remains 
were  laid  in  the  tomb,  men  wept  tears  for  Africa,  and  prayed  God 
to  remove  its  darkness  and  slavery. 

What  was  to  be  done?  Was  the  question  of  evangelising 
Central  Africa  to  be  dismissed  again  from  the  minds  of  the 
Churches  in  Scotland,  as  in  1863,  or  was  it  to  be  considered 
seriously,  hopefully,  and  with  a  sense  of  its  tremendous  necessity  ? 
Was  Scotland  going  to  expend  her  admiration  upon  the  self- 
sacrifice  of  her  son,  and  rest  satisfied  with  that,  or  was  she  going 
to  carry  on  the  noble  work  which  he  had  begun  ?  Was  she  to  sit 
still,  or  was  she  to  enter  in  and  take  possession  of  the  land  which 
he  loved,  planting  the  light  of  the  Gospel  amid  its  deep  darkness  ? 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  these  opportune  events  that  Dr  Stewart 
returned  home  on  furlough,  after  doing  seven  years'  persevering 
and  successful  work  in  Lovedale.  He  had  made  the  Institution, 
by  general  consent,  the  best,  the  largest,  and  the  most  successful 
of  its  kind  in  all  South  Africa.  Now  he  had  come  home  to  raise 
^1500  for  its  extension  and  the  commencement  of  Blythswood. 
He  arrived  in  the  beginning  of  1874,  when  men  everywhere  were 
thinking  of  Africa ;  and  he  stood  with  other  friends  of  Livingstone 
in  Westminster  Abbey  when  that  great  missionary  and  hero  was 
laid  to  rest.  But  what  would  he  now  do  in  regard  to  his  old 
proposal  ?  Was  he  still  anxious  for  this  Central  African  Mission  ? 
This  was  the  question  that  many  asked. 

But  he  soon  removed  all  doubts  on  that  point.  It  is  not 
generally  known  that  when  he  was  first  asked  to  proceed  to 
Lovedale  to  strengthen  the  missionary  cause  there,  one  of  his 
difficulties  was  that  such  a  course  might  divert  his  life  from  his 
favourite  scheme  of  evangelising  Nyasaland.  While  at  Lovedale, 
he  had  not  forgotten  the  matter.  He  had  never  once  laid  aside 
the  hope  of  carrying  it  out.  And  now,  on  seeing  the  remarkable 
interest  manifested  in  the  burial  of  Livingstone,  he  realised  more 
than  ever  the  possibility  and  success  of  this  enterprise.  Whatever 
dangers  and  obstacles  there  might  be  in  connection  with  it,  he 
believed,  even  more  strongly  than  before,  that  with  a  living  faith 
in  Christ,  they  could  be  heroically  faced,  and  triumphantly  over- 
come, 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION  25 

Realising  the  importance  of  the  events  that  had  taken  place, 
and  the  amount  of  the  missionary  enthusiasm  created  by  them, 
Dr  Stewart  had  no  hesitation  in  again  bringing  the  proposal  to  the 
front.  He  believed  with  many  that  the  time  to  favour  Africa, 
even  the  set  time  had  come.  "  There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of 
men."  That  tide  had  now  risen  to  a  flood,  and  must  be  taken. 
With  much  enthusiasm  he  therefore  reopened  the  question.  He 
discussed  it  for  a  whole  night  at  Shieldhall,  near  Glasgow,  the 
residence  at  that  time  of  Mr  John  Stephen ;  and  in  that  old 
country  house  it  was  definitely  resolved  to  go  forward,  and  to  give 
the  new  Mission  the  name  of  "  Livingstonia."  He  then  brought 
the  matter  publicly  forward  for  the  first  time  again  by  referring  to 
it  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Free  Church,  which  met  in  May. 

The  Foreign  Missions  Committee,  now  under  the  living  influence 
of  Dr  Duff,  had  participated  in  the  new  general  interest  created  in 
Africa,  and  were  now  anxious  to  plant  an  additional  mission  some- 
where in  that  immense  country.  The  Free  Church  missions  in 
South  Africa  had  now  been  greatly  extended.  The  Kafirs,  Fingoes, 
and  Zulus  were  all  being  evangelised  at  this  time.  But  taking 
everything  into  consideration,  the  Committee  felt  that  there  was 
now  a  loud  call  for  them  to  advance  to  some  other  part  of  Africa. 
No  particular  locality  had  been  fixed  on  by  them ;  but  they  were 
rather  in  favour  of  the  Somali  country,  near  the  gulf  of  Aden,  than 
of  Central  Africa  or  any  of  the  regions  explored  by  Livingstone. 
Several  young  men  of  the  Somali  tribe  had  visited  Bombay,  and 
been  trained  in  the  Free  Church  Institution  there,  and  it  was 
thought  that  they  might  be  employed  as  useful  agents.  The 
Committee  had  been  communicating  on  the  matter  with  Rev.  Dr 
John  Wilson,  of  Bombay,  and  with  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  whose  name  is 
well  known  in  connection  with  Africa  and  the  repression  of  slavery. 

But  Dr  Stewart,  in  the  General  Assembly  to  which  we  refer, 
gave  his  voice  unmistakably  against  the  choice  of  such  a  locality 
as  Somali,  and  took  the  opportunity  of  bringing  before  the 
audience  this  long-cherished  idea  of  a  Christian,  civilising  settle- 
ment at  Lake  Nyasa,  among  the  helpless  slave-hunted  tribes 
spoken  of  by  Livingstone.  "  Plant  the  Mission  at  Lake  Nyasa," 
he  said,  "  and  call  it  Livingstonia."  He  characterised  a  mission 
into  the  Somali  country  at  such  a  time  as  "a  deadly  and  difficult 
piece  of  work."  On  the  other  hand,  he  showed  that  there  were 
favourable  circumstances  in  the  case  of  Central  Africa,  and  that 


26  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

a  mission  to  these  parts  could  be  accomplished  without  much  diffi- 
culty. The  reader  will  understand  his  enthusiasm  and  hopefulness 
in  regard  to  a  mission  in  this  beautiful  region  laid  open  by  Living- 
stone, if  we  quote  the  following  from  the  report  of  his  speech  : — 

"  I  would  now  express  publicly  what  I  have  already  expressed 
privately.  I  have  heard  with  gratification  of  the  proposed 
memorials  to  Dr  Livingstone — of  the  Edinburgh  Medical  Mis- 
sionary Memorial,  of  the  proposed  statue,  and  of  various  other 
projects.  I  hope,  with  all  my  heart,  that  all  these  will  succeed  to 
the  utmost  wishes  and  expectations  of  their  supporters.  But  what 
I  would  now  humbly  suggest  as  the  truest  memorial  of  Livingstone 
is — the  establishment  by  this  Church,  or  several  Churches  together, 
of  an  institution  at  once  industrial  and  educational,  to  teach  the 
truths  of  the  Gospel  and  the  arts  of  civilised  life  to  the  natives 
of  the  country ;  and  which  shall  be  placed  on  a  carefully  selected 
and  commanding  spot  in  Central  Africa,  where,  from  its  position 
and  capabilities,  it  might  grow  into  a  town,  and  afterwards  into  a 
city,  and  become  a  great  centre  of  commerce,  civilisation,  and 
Christianity.  And  this  I  would  call  LIVINGSTONIA." 

Dr  Stewart  had  had  a  large  African  experience,  and  his  sugges- 
tions as  to  a  locality  could  not  be  rejected  as  fanciful.  He  had 
been  to  the  place,  and  he  knew  its  character — knew  how  fond 
the  people  were  of  "  the  English,"  and  how  warmly  they  would 
welcome  any  missionaries.  Besides,  David  Livingstone  had  ex- 
pressly recommended  Lake  Nyasa  to  him  when  out  there  in  1862  ; 
and  three  years  afterwards,  when  this  great  explorer  was  in 
Bombay,  in  the  course  of  a  conversation  on  the  subject  with  Dr 
Wilson,  he  had  again  pointed  out  this  region  as  by  far  the  best 
for  a  mission  station,  and  he  had  earnestly  recommended  that  the 
Free  Church  of  Scotland  should  take  up  a  position  there,  because 
he  had  great  confidence  in  the  tenacity,  the  resolute  perseverance, 
and  the  indomitable  energy  of  the  Scottish  character. 

As  a  result  of  Dr  Stewart's  remarkable  speech,  his  suggestion 
was  taken  into  earnest  consideration  by  many  members  of  the 
Free  Church,  especially  by  such  friends  of  Africa  as  Mr  James 
Stevenson,  Mr  James  White,  Mr  John  Stephen,  and  Rev.  Robert 
Howie,  who  were  all  present  in  the  Assembly  that  evening.  It 
was  heartily  encouraged,  too,  by  the  Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  Dundee 
and  London  press,  and  gathered  strength  daily. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION  27 

The  difficulties  which  arose  in  the  minds  of  some  people  in 
connection  with  the  undertaking  were  found  after  all  not  to  be  so 
insurmountable  as  at  first  imagined.  The  Nyasa  district,  it  was 
said,  was  practically  in  the  hands  of  suspicious  Arabs  and 
Portuguese,  who  might  vent  their  hostility  against  the  missionaries. 
The  whole  Zambesi  and  Shire  district  leading  up  to  it  was 
dangerous  to  Europeans,  because  of  its  malarious  swamps.  The 
Universities'  Mission,  commenced  in  the  neighbourhood,  under 
the  care  of  the  excellent  Bishop  Mackenzie,  had  disastrously 
failed,  and  the  site  was  now  marked  by  its  graves.  Even  suppos- 
ing the  mission  were  properly  established  at  the  lake,  stores  and 
provisions  would  require  to  be  occasionally  sent  out,  but  these 
could  only  be  conveyed  with  difficulty  and  with  much  delay  into 
such  inland  regions.  These,  and  many  other  huge  difficulties, 
were  brought  forward  by  some  people.  But  when  carefully  con- 
sidered by  those  who  had  experience  of  the  country,  they  were 
not  found  after  all  to  be  very  great.  The  power  of  the  Arabs, 
upon  which  some  laid  a  good  deal  of  stress,  would  fall  before  the 
Gospel,  as  warriors  fall  before  guns  and  swords.  The  failure  of 
the  Universities'  Mission  was  not  a  difficulty  at  all,  but  a  guiding 
help,  as  failure  in  the  first  effort  to  settle  a  mission  is  often  a  sure 
stepping-stone  to  success,  and  should  not  lead  to  dismay  but  to 
renewed  activity,  ending  in  ultimate  victory  and  triumph.  Any 
obstacles,  too,  in  the  way  of  transit  of  goods,  were  not  so  extra- 
ordinary as  to  forbid  the  enterprise.  It  was  now  known  from 
experience,  that  it  was  possible  to  start  with  stores  from  the 
Zambesi  mouth  at  the  beginning  of  the  month,  and  be  sailing  on 
the  blue  waters  of  Nyasa  before  the  close  of  it. 

Any  difficulties  that  existed — and  undoubtedly  there  were  some 
— were  more  than  counterbalanced  by  advantageous  circumstances. 
The  district  was  known  to  be  a  fertile  one  and  densely  inhabited 
in  many  places.  Not  only  so,  but  the  proposed  locality  had  the 
singular  advantage  of  being  in  the  heart  of  the  mighty  continent, 
and  yet  having  a  safe,  expeditious  approach  from  the  sea,  by  means 
of  the  Zambesi  River  and  its  great  tributary  from  the  north,  the 
Shird.  This  was  a  fact  of  immense  importance ;  for  instead  of 
being  required  to  make  a  journey  of  about  800  miles  overland 
from  Zanzibar  to  Nyasa,  an  expedition  could  sail  up  these  rivers 
with  only  a  porterage  of  about  sixty  miles  at  the  Murchison 
Cataract. 


28  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I A 

In  a  short  time  the  Foreign  Missions  Committee,  and  indeed 
the  whole  Church,  thus  came  to  see  that  there  were  strong  reasons 
for  choosing  this  part  of  Africa.  Dr  Duff,  the  energetic  Convener, 
could  no  longer  withhold  his  support.  It  was  now  definitely  re- 
solved to  start  the  Mission  somewhere  on  the  southern  extremity 
of  the  lake — ever  afterwards  to  be  known  as  the  "  Livingstonia 
Mission  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland"  among  the  tribes  of 
Central  Africa.  That  beautiful  region,  explored  by  David  Living- 
stone, was  at  last  to  receive  the  light  of  Heaven.  Its  teeming 
millions  were  to  have  the  religion  of  Christ  as  an  eternal  possession. 
Its  woes  and  sorrows  were  to  find  relief  in  a  higher  power  than 
earth  could  give.  Its  moral  life,  infamous  and  corrupt,  was  to 
experience  a  new  influence,  vivid  as  lightning,  yet  soft  and  sweet  as 
summer  air. 

It  was  considered  necessary  to  make  the  Mission  wide  in  its 
operation — to  teach  the  natives  the  arts  of  civilised  life,  as  well  as 
the  all-important  truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  in  this  way  make 
Central  Africa  a  Christian  country,  with  a  Christian  civilisation 
and  commerce.  One  of  the  main  objects  of  the  Mission  would 
be  to  assist,  by  means  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  extinguishing  of  the 
accursed  slave-traffic  in  that  region — certainly  a  blessed  and  Christ- 
like  object.  Its  promoters  realised  that  there  could  be  no  more 
powerful  remedy  for  this  evil  than  the  Gospel  of  Jesus,  before 
which  all  evils  must  vanish  as  chilling  icebergs  before  warm 
currents  and  summer  skies.  But  the  highest  object  in  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Mission  was  to  make  known  the  glad  tidings  of  a 
Saviour  to  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  children  of  Nyasa.  It 
was  to  hold  forth  the  light  of  the  Gospel.  What  the  colossal  statue 
of  Liberty,  at  the  head  of  New  York  harbour,  is  to  mariners  on  a 
dark  night,  the  Livingstonia  Mission  was  to  be  in  a  spiritual  and  far 
higher  sense  to  the  natives  in  Central  Africa.  That  statue  holds  forth 
in  outstretched  hands  a  magnificent  display  of  light  to  guide  ships 
to  safe  anchorage ;  and  in  like  manner  this  Mission  was  to  hold 
forth  the  light  of  life,  that  the  natives  might  be  saved  from  death, 
and  guided  into  the  way  of  peace.  Everything  else  was  subordinate 
to  this  grand  purpose,  and  has  always  been  so  in  the  history  of  the 
Mission.  Education,  industry,  medicine,  and  everything  Christian 
.were  to  have  a  place,  but  the  Gospel  of  Christ  was  to  be  paramount. 

The  planting  of  such  a  Mission  in  the  heart  of  Africa  was  a 
fitting  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  brave  man  who  died  at  his 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  MISSION  29 

post  after  a  life-long  fight.  To  send  out  a  few  men  of  like  mind 
with  him  for  the  purpose  of  spreading  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and 
of  doing  something  to  civilise  the  country,  was  in  accordance  with 
his  own  feelings.  Various  projects  had  been  set  on  foot  for 
perpetuating  his  memory.  All  over  people  had  combined  to- 
gether with  much  zeal  to  erect  a  stone  or  brass  monument  to 
his  name ;  but  this  "  Livingstonia  " — this  Christian  settlement  of 
his  own  countrymen  in  the  lovely  district  which  he  had  explored 
— was  the  most  lasting  memorial  that  could  be  erected. 

Scotland  has  done  much  for  the  good  of  the  world.  Few  who 
have  read  her  history  can  forget  her  immortal  reformers,  martyrs, 
and  Covenanters,  her  philanthropists  and  explorers,  her  struggles 
for  freedom,  and  her  efforts  to  enlighten  humanity.  Small  though 
she  is — so  small  that  she  might  easily  be  packed  within  the  cir- 
cumference of  Lake  Nyasa — yet  she  has  had  a  mighty  influence 
on  the  world.  But  it  may  be  truly  said  that  she  added  another 
jewel  to  her  crown  of  glory  when  she  resolved  upon  this  new  and 
difficult  enterprise.  "  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the 
feet  of  him  that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace  and 
salvation  ! " 


CHAPTER  II 

PREPARATIONS 

As'  may  be  imagined,  arduous  and  complicated  preparations  were 
necessary,  if  the  Mission  was  to  be  successful ;  but  there  was  no 
lack  of  workers,  and  no  want  of  perseverance.  There  was  no  one 
who  rendered  so  much  assistance  in  the  whole  matter  as  Dr 
Stewart.  He  zealously  and  incessantly  pleaded  the  cause  of  the 
Mission,  being  unwearied  in  his  efforts  to  help,  even  though  he 
had  returned  home  specially  to  raise  money  for  Lovedale.  He 
took  practically  the  whole  burden  of  arranging  the  details,  and 
providing  for  the  equipment  of  the  expedition.  Much  active 
support  was  also  given  by  Rev.  Dr  Duff,  Mr  James  Stevenson, 
Mr  James  White  of  Overtoun,  Dr  James  Young  of  Kelly,  Sir 
William  Mackinnon,  Sir  John  Cowan,  Mr  John  Stephen,  Rev. 
Robert  Howie  of  Govan,  Dr  Moir  of  Edinburgh,  Rev.  Dr  Goold 
of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  and  other  well-known  men, 
most  of  whom  have  now  passed  to  their  eternal  reward. 

But  assistance  was  not  confined  to  Free  Church  people. 
Froude,  the  historian,  tells  us  somewhere  that  in  great  movements 
the  minds  of  men  are  like  a  train  of  gunpowder,  the  isolated  grains 
of  which  have  no  relation  to  each  other,  and  no  effect  on  each 
other,  while  they  remain  unignited ;  but  whenever  a  spark  kindles 
one  of  them  they  shoot  into  instant  union.  Such  a  spark  was 
kindled  at  the  commencement  of  this  Mission ;  for  men,  not 
connected  with  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  or  any  Presbyterian 
Church,  joined  hands  with  her  in  this  effort  to  evangelise  the 
tribes  of  Nyasa.  Among  many  of  this  kind,  gratitude  demands 
the  mention  of  two  members  of  the  Church  of  England.  These 
are  the  Rev.  Horace  Waller,  F.R.G.S.,  formerly  of  Bishop 
Mackenzie's  first  Universities'  Mission,  and  editor  of  "  Living- 
stone's Last  Journals,"  and  that  distinguished  Christian  officer, 
Captain  Wilson,  R.N.  Both  these  men  were  acquainted  with 
Nyasaland,  and  laboured  generously  and  energetically  in  con- 


PREPARATIONS  31 

nection  with  the  matter,  placing  much  of  their  valuable  time  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Committee.  Their  catholicity  of  spirit  was 
truly  admirable.  With  all  our  Christian  enlightenment  in  Scot- 
land, it  would  perhaps  be  difficult  to  find  any  among  us  who 
would  bestow  upon  a  Church  of  England  mission  the  same  disin- 
terestedness and  attention.  The  Free  Church  General  Assembly 
of  1875  placed  on  record  its  "deep  sense"  of  their  "invaluable 
services." 

Captain  Wilson's  first  connection  with  this  proposed  mission 
arose  out  of  peculiar  circumstances.  For  ten  years  he  was 
commander  of  one  of  H.M.  ships  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa. 
In  1862,  while  his  ship  was  lying  in  the  harbour  of  Mozambique, 
Dr  Stewart  arrived  from  Scotland.  Dr  Stewart's  vessel  had  on 
board  the  steamer  built  at  the  expense  of  Dr  Young  of  Kelly  to 
be  sent  out  to  Dr  Livingstone,  in  the  hope  that  it  might  be  placed 
on  Lake  Nyasa,  and  also  a  number  of  ladies  connected  with  the 
Universities'  Mission.  The  vessel  likewise  carried  a  letter  from 
the  Commander-in-Chief  directing  any  man-of-war  on  the  coast 
to  render  every  assistance.  Captain  Wilson  accordingly  took 
the  vessel  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Zambesi,  where  they  met 
Livingstone  in  the  Pioneer;  and  he  thereafter  spent  two  months 
working  in  concert  with  this  brave  explorer,  and  assisting  Dr 
Stewart  in  his  reconnaisance  of  the  country.  Ever  since  then 
he  had  been  thoroughly  interested  in  the  planting  of  a  missionary 
settlement  at  Nyasa,  and  no  one  rejoiced  now  more  than  he  did 
at  the  practical  fulfilment  of  Dr  Stewart's  desire.  His  interest 
continued  unabated  until  his  death,  as  Admiral  on  the  Australian 
Station. 

Amid  all  the  multifarious  preparations,  one  of  the  first  questions 
that  arose  was,  Who  should  be  the  Leader  of  the  Mission  party 
to  be  sent  to  the  Lake  ?  Who  could  undertake  the  difficult  task 
of  leading  them  up  the  Zambesi  and  Shire*  rivers,  thickly  beset 
with  great  and  manifold  perils — perils  connected  with  intricate 
navigation,  with  malarious  swamps,  with  miles  of  cataracts,  with 
savage  beasts,  and  perhaps  savage  tribes  ?  This  was  a  grave  and 
important  question. 

Many  naturally  thought  at  first  of  Dr  Stewart,  who  had 
advocated  the  Mission  so  warmly,  and  who  had  had  experience 
of  this  distant,  perilous  region.  But  Lovedale  could  not  spare 
him  so  soon.  The  rapidly-extending  work  of  the  Free  Church, 


32  DAV 'BREAK  IN  LIFINGSTON1A 

not  only  there,  but  in  the  Transkei  territory,  made  it  imperative 
for  him  to  return  to  South  Africa  at  the  earliest  opportunity  to 
lay  foundations  of  stone  and  lime.  He,  however,  suggested  Mr 
E.  D.  Young,  Lieutenant  in  the  Royal  Navy,  whom  he  had  met 
in  1862  on  the  Zambesi.  He  recommended  him  as  in  every 
way  admirably  qualified  for  the  work.  This  young  naval  officer 
had  served  for  many  years  on  the  East  Coast  of  Africa  with 
Captain  Wilson,  and  had  been  two  years  in  company  with 
Livingstone,  acting  as  Commander  of  the  Pioneer.  Not  only  so, 
but  he  had  subsequently  been  the  leader  of  the  Livingstone  Search 
Expedition.  When  Livingstone  set  out  on  his  last  journey,  he 
passed  to  the  south  of  Lake  Nyasa,  and  then  struck  nearly  due 
north  to  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Tanganyika.  At  some 
spot  on  this  route  his  carriers  deserted  him  wholesale,  in  dread  of 
the  savage  Ngoni,  through  whose  territory  they  would  have  to 
pass.  Moosa,  a  Johannaman,  along  with  others,  found  his  way 
to  Zanzibar,  and  there  spread  a  false  tale  of  failure  and  murder. 
On  this  report  reaching  England,  Mr  Young  was  appointed  by 
Her  Majesty's  Government,  at  the  head  of  a  party,  to  find  out  the 
truth  or  otherwise  of  the  Johannaman's  story.  He  set  out  in  the 
summer  of  1867,  ascended  the  Zambesi  and  Shire,  carrying  with 
him  a  small  steel  boat,  which  he  launched  on  the  waters  of  Nyasa, 
and  brought  back  to  England  evidence  that  the  great  explorer  was 
alive  and  well.  The  remarkable  energy,  patient  endurance,  in- 
domitable perseverance,  and  Christian  disposition  which  he  had 
manifested  in  this  and  his  previous  African  experiences  were  well 
known. 

On  Dr  Stewart  and  Dr  Murray  Mitchell  laying  the  matter  before 
him,  he  regarded  it  as  a  call  from  God,  and  willingly  offered  his 
services  for  two  years,  if  the  Admiralty  would  grant  him  leave.  A 
memorial  from  some  of  the  principal  business  men  in  Glasgow, 
who  had  heartily  supported  the  proposed  Mission,  was  forwarded 
to  the  Lords  Commissioners,  asking  them  to  grant  the  use  of  his 
services  for  this  period,  while  Captain  Wilson  also  used  his 
influence  for  the  same  purpose.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  the 
Admiralty  readily  granted  the  request,  allowing  him  to  leave  his 
coastguard  appointment  at  Dungeness  till  ist  February  1877; 
and  so  this  young  naval  lieutenant  was  fixed  as  the  Leader  of  the 
Livingstonia  Expedition,  having  the  management  and  control  of 
all  its  movements.  It  was  expected  that  in  a  year  or  two  Dr 


PREPARATIONS  33 

Stewart  would  be  able  to  take  his  place ;  but  until  then  Mr  Young 
would  continue  in  charge. 

A  still  more  important  matter,  perhaps,  than  the  securing  of 
Mr  Young's  services,  was  the  obtaining  of  the  large  amount  of 
money  necessary  for  the  equipment  of  the  Mission.  Where  was 
it  all  to  come  from?  What  would  Glasgow  give?  Would  the 
merchant  princes  of  that  western  metropolis  give  any  substantial 
help  ?  These  were  questions  that  naturally  arose,  for  it  was  in  a 
Glasgow  house  that  the  name  "  Livingstonia "  had  first  been 
uttered,  and  it  was  in  the  main  due  to  the  spirit  of  Glasgow  men 
that  the  Mission  had  been  resolved  upon.  But  Glasgow  soon 
made  an  important  move  in  the  matter.  At  a  private  meeting  of 
business  men  and  others,  held  in  that  city  on  3rd  November  1874, 
at  which  Dr  Stewart,  Dr  Duff,  Dr  Murray  Mitchell,  and  Mr  E.  D. 
Young  were  present,  the  financial  matters  of  the  proposed  Mission 
were  fully  discussed.  It  was  considered  that  ^10,000  at  least 
would  be  required  to  found  it,  independent  of  what  would  be 
needed  to  carry  it  on  year  by  year.  Could  this  large  sum  of  money 
be  obtained?  We  all  know  what  tremendous  efforts  had  to  be 
made  by  William  Carey  in  order  to  raise  even  a  fraction  of  this 
amount  for  work  in  India,  and  what  an  amount  of  diffidence  many 
people  manifest  in  giving  to  any  new  missionary  object.  But  Dr 
Stewart  and  his  supporters  had  not  long  to  wait  for  an  answer. 
A  few  thousands  of  pounds  were  promised  by  the  generous 
merchants  present  at  the  meeting, — a  sum  large  enough  to  assure 
the  promoters  of  complete  success.  The  first  subscription  of  £ i  ooo 
came  from  Mr  James  Stevenson  of  Glasgow,  who  was  among 
the  first  to  enter  heartily  into  the  enterprise,  and  whose  interest 
in  the  Mission  ever  since  has  been  untiring.  Dr  Young  of  Kelly,  the 
intimate  and  munificent  friend  of  Livingstone,  also  gave  ^1000; 
while  Sir  William  Mackinnon,  Mr  Peter  Mackinnon,  Mr  George 
Martin  of  Auchendennan,  and  Mr  James  White  of  Overtoun  gave 
^500  each.  All  these  were  men  who  had  stamped  the  image  of 
God  on  their  money,  and  who  used  it  freely  for  the  merchandise  of 
Heaven.  An  excellent  beginning  was  thus  made,  and  the  fears 
of  the  Foreign  Missions  Committee  were  considerably  lessened. 

When  an  appeal  was  then  made  to  the  country  through  public 
meetings,  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  Mission  would  not 
lack  for  the  necessary  financial  support.  The  circumstances 
connected  with  Livingstone's  death  had  thrilled  the  hearts  of 


34  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

many  Scottish  people,  and  the  tide  of  popular  favour  had  risen 
accordingly.  Largely  attended  public  meetings  were  held  in 
Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  Dundee,  Aberdeen,  and  other  places.  The 
first  of  these  was  held  at  Glasgow,  which  had  taken  the  lead 
in  the  matter,  on  8th  Jannary  1875.  The  chair  was  taken  by 
one  of  the  leading  Christian  laymen  of  the  West,  Mr  James 
White  of  Overtoun,  and  the  meeting,  which  was  of  an  enthusiastic 
nature,  was  addressed  by  Captain  Wilson,  Mr  Young,  Dr  Stewart, 
and  others.  A  resolution  was  passed  expressing  "cordial  satis- 
faction at  the  proposal  to  establish  a  missionary  settlement  of 
an  evangelistic,  educational,  and  industrial  character  on  Lake 
Nyasa,  to  be  called  Livingstonia,  and  satisfaction  at  the  prospect 
that  at  length  the  light  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  was  to 
be  carried  into  the  darkness  of  Central  Africa."  This  Glasgow 
meeting  was  the  public  founding  of  the  Mission — from  this 
meeting  it  dates  its  public  origin.  Edinburgh  followed  on  igth 
February,  when  the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Moncreiff  took  the  chair 
at  an  enthusiastic  gathering,  and  similar  resolutions  were  passed. 
Aberdeen  and  Dundee,  led  in  the  matter  by  their  Provosts, 
also  volunteered  to  help  in  this  great  national  enterprise. 
Auxiliary  Committees  were  formed  in  all  these  cities  for  the 
purpose  of  collecting  subscriptions.  People  all  over  Scotland, 
of  all  political  creeds  and  of  all  denominations,  gave  liberally, 
many  of  them  unsolicited.  The  result  was  that  before  long, 
without  appealing  to  the  Church  as  a  whole,  the  large  amount 
of  money  necessary  to  commence  the  Mission  was  raised.  This 
is  a  fact  calling  forth  profound  gratitude,  when  we  remember 
the  financial  embarrassments  which  have  beset  other  missions 
at  their  commencement. 

One  pleasing  feature  in  connection  with  the  whole  project 
was  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  other  Presbyterian  bodies 
in  Scotland — the  first  time  such  a  thing  had  taken  place  in 
their  missionary  work.  The  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church, 
which  joined  the  Free  Church  next  year,  was  the  first  to  co- 
operate. Many  of  its  members,  and  especially  Dr  Young  of 
Kelly,  that  devoted  friend  of  Livingstone  and  Africa,  had 
contributed  generously  to  the  undertaking;  and  it  was  then 
felt  by  the  Free  Church  Committee  that  they  could  not  do  less 
than  ask  the  Foreign  Missions  Committee  of  that  Church  to 
co-operate  with  them  in  the  work.  To  this  proposal  they  at 


PREPARATIONS  35 

once  consented.  Then  in  May,  1875,  when  the  Synod  of  this 
Church  met  in  Glasgow,  it  was  addressed  by  Dr  Murray  Mitchell 
in  reference  to  the  matter,  and  it  engaged  to  give  its  active  help. 
The  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  possessed  an  honoured  band 
of  missionaries,  and  it  carried  on  a  successful  mission  in  the  New 
Hebrides  among  the  most  degraded  and  brutal  cannibals  that 
ever  existed — a  mission  that  required  all  its  care  and  energy ; 
but  it  was  with  much  readiness  and  cordiality  that  it  agreed  to 
join  hands  in  this  new  enterprise.  This  co-operation  became 
union,  when,  on  25th  May  1876,  all  its  ministers,  with  the 
exception  of  one,  amalgamated  with  the  Free  Church,  thus 
removing  one  great  blot,  at  least,  on  our  honoured  Scottish 
Presbyterianism. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Church,  under  Dr  MacGill,  the 
Secretary  of  its  Mission  Board,  also  joined  in.  Its  hands  were 
already  full  with  efforts  in  Spain,  China,  Japan,  and  especially 
in  Kafraria,  and  in  Old  Calabar  on  the  west  coast.  It  could 
not,  therefore,  plant  a  mission  of  its  own  in  Nyasaland  at  such 
a  time,  or  unite  with  any  other  Church  in  doing  so.  If  any 
extension  had  been  contemplated  into  Central  Africa,  this  would 
have  had  to  take  place  from  its  Old  Calabar  station,  in  the 
direction  of  the  Niger.  Nevertheless,  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  rejoiced  to  see  the  Free  Church  undertaking  this  new 
field  of  labour,  and  promised  to  assist  in  every  way  in  its  power ; 
and  it  did  so  most  nobly  and  generously  by  giving  an  ordained 
medical  missionary  of  the  highest  qualifications — a  man,  as  Dr 
Duff  said,  "inflamed  with  the  missionary  spirit" — and  agreeing  to 
provide  his  salary,  the  only  condition  being  that  it  might  have 
him  back  at  the  end  of  two  years,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  it 
required  him.  The  missionary  referred  to  is  the  Rev.  Dr  Laws, 
F.R.G.S.,  whom  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  has  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  Mission  ever  since.  He  has  proved  himself,  beyond 
all  doubt,  to  be  a  most  excellent  and  capable  man,  and  is  now  the 
honoured  and  trusted  leader  of  the  Mission.  Nothing  surely 
could  exceed  the  brotherly  kindness  and  generosity  of  this  proposal. 
It  was  warmly  welcomed  by  friends  of  Livingstonia,  as  the  Free 
Church  had  no  trained  medical  man  ready  to  proceed  with  the 
party. 

The  Established  Church  was  also  desirous  of  doing  work  in  the 
same  region.  It  appointed  a  special  Committee,  with  Dr  Macrae 


36  DATBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONE 

of  Hawick  as  Convener,  to  make  arrangements  for  a  contemplated 
settlement  of  its  own  at  the  Lake.  As  early  as  January,  Dr 
Macrae  addressed  an  official  note  to  the  Free  Church  Committee, 
stating  that  he  was  anxious  for  some  form  of  co-operation.  On 
receipt  of  this  note,  the  Committee,  under  Dr  Duffs  influence, 
would  have  gone  in  for  full  joint  co-operation,  or  even  union  in 
the  matter,  but  a  difficulty  presented  itself  in  the  fact  that  this 
Mission  was  regarded  as  only  a  step  in  advance,  or  simply  an 
extension  of  the  work  at  Lovedale,  which  was  purely  a  Free 
Church  institution.  This  view  of  the  case,  therefore,  prevented 
any  full-co-operation,  as  the  Established  Church  could  not  be 
expected  to  help  in  an  undertaking  which  had  a  purely  Free 
Church  connection.  But  the  Free  Church  Committee  suggested 
that  the  two  settlements  might  be  able  in  many  ways  to  render 
each  other  important  counsel  and  help,  and  that  they  would  even 
feel  compelled  to  do  so  on  account  of  the  surrounding  barbarism, 
almost  as  much  as  if  they  both  belonged  to  one  and  the  same 
Church. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Lord  Polwarth,  a  member  of  the  Established 
Church  Committee,  an  unofficial  conference  was  then  held  between 
Dr  Duff,  Dr  Macrae,  and  himself,  with  the  view  of  ascertaining  on 
what  points  friendly  co-operation  might  take  place.  As  Lord 
Polwarth  was  a  man  of  warm  catholic  spirit,  of  thorough  candour, 
and  of  practical  common  sense,  his  recommendations  were  of 
much  value.  This  conference,  which  lasted  two  hours,  agreed 
that  each  Church  should  have  its  own  distinct  settlement  at  Lake 
Nyasa,  with  its  own  stores  and  supplies,  and  should  send  out  its 
own  staff  of  missionaries,  under  its  own  Committee ;  but  that  the 
two  settlements  should  not  be  so  far  distant  from  each  other  as  to 
forbid  easy  intercourse  and  possible  assistance  in  time  of  danger. 

After  some  time  the  Established  Church  found  it  impracticable 
to  plant  such  a  settlement  at  once,  not  having  engaged  a  staff,  or 
prepared  the  necessary  material ;  but  it  agreed  to  send  a  pioneer 
missionary  with  the  Free  Church  expedition,  in  order  to  furnish 
information  about  the  country,  select  a  site,  and  prepare  the  way 
for  its  own  expedition  a  year  afterwards.  This  pioneer  was  Mr 
Henry  Henderson,  son  of  a  Kinclaven  minister. 

Thus  no  less  than  four  different  divisions  of  the  Christian 
Church  co-operated  in  the  most  happy  and  successful  way  in  the 
commencement  of  this  Scottish  enterprise.  On  this  account  alone 


PREPARATIONS  37 

the  Livingstonia  Mission  had  a  noble  beginning,  and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  part  of  the  blessing  which  has  accompanied  it  is 
due  to  this  providential  arrangement. 

But  who  were  to  form  the  Livingstonia  Mission  party  ?  Who 
were  fit  for  this  work  ?  The  idea  that  many  have  of  a  missionary 
to  ignorant  tribes  is  that  he  is  a  kind  of  ascetic,  visionary  creature, 
filled  with  passionate  dreams  that  can  never  be  realised,  gaunt 
and  unearthly  in  his  appearance,  going  out  in  his  restless  intensity 
to  some  distant  clime,  with  no  method  but  that  of  preaching,  and 
there,  Jonah-like,  warning  the  dark-skinned  people  of  approaching 
wrath.  With  a  white  neck-cloth  and  a  suitable  black  coat,  he  stands 
under  a  tree,  and  from  the  open  Bible  delivers  his  message  to  the 
anxious  attentive  natives.  Such  an  idea  is  but  the  creation  of 
popular  imagination,  and  has  no  existence  in  fact.  If  this  were 
a  missionary,  no  society  would  accept  his  services.  The  truth 
of  the  matter  is  that  a  missionary,  especially  an  African  one,  is 
a  man  of  much  wider  knowledge  and  much  greater  powers.  Not 
only  is  he  a  scholar,  able  to  grapple  with  the  obscurities  of 
barbarous  languages,  but  he  is  all  things.  He  is  a  carpenter, 
builder,  blacksmith,  doctor,  printer,  and  knows  how  to  help  the 
natives  in  their  everyday  life.  He  is  even  his  own  cook  and 
housekeeper.  He  is  no  emaciated  being,  with  thin,  long  hands 
and  unearthly  look,  as  many  popular  novelists  have  represented 
him,  but  a  man  with  a  strong,  healthy  frame,  accustomed  to  hard- 
ship and  danger,  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  many  trades  and 
a  good  smattering  of  others, — in  short,  a  man  able  to  do  hard 
physical  work  as  well  as  to  preach. 

It  was  necessary  that  men  of  this  kind  should  be  found  for 
this  new  Mission.  The  matter  was  left  very  much  in  Dr  Stewart's 
hands,  and  before  long  he  had  secured  some  excellent  men.  The 
following  were  chosen,  viz. : — Mr  George  Johnston,  Carpenter  • 
Mr  Allan  Simpson,  Blacksmith ;  Mr  John  Macfadyen,  Engineer ; 
Mr  Alexander  Riddell,  Agriculturist;  and  Mr  William  Baker, 
Seaman,  R.N.,  who  had  obtained  two  years'  leave  from  the 
Admiralty.  In  addition  to  these  five,  there  were  Lieutenant 
Young,  R.N.,  the  leader  of  the  party;  Rev.  Dr  Laws,  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church;  and  Mr  Henry  Henderson,  the 
missionary  appointed  by  the  Established  Church  to  pioneer  the 
way  for  that  Church's  settlement  on  the  Shire".  These  were  eight 
remarkable  men,  all  endowed  with  much  energy,  real  piety,  and 


38  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

an  earnest  desire  to  help  enslaved  Africa  through  the  power  of  the 
Gospel. 

To  some  readers  not  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  Mission, 
the  mention  of  a  seaman  among  the  party  may  seem  peculiar. 
Through  the  liberality,  however,  of  Glasgow,  a  small  steamer  had 
been  built  for  use  on  the  Lake.  It  was  considered  that  such  a 
thing,  especially  during  the  pioneering  period  of  the  Mission, 
would  be  a  valuable  adjunct  in  the  work.  It  would  carry  the 
missionaries  to  all  parts  of  Nyasa,  with  its  teeming  masses,  thus 
enabling  them  to  proclaim  the  glad  tidings  to  far-away  people. 
It  would  act  as  a  safe  refuge  in  case  of  any  sudden  attack  by 
hostile  natives.  Its  presence,  with  the  British  flag  of  freedom 
floating  from  its  masthead,  would  have  a  warning  effect  upon  the 
slave-hunters,  helping  to  put  an  end  to  this  blighting  curse  of 
Africa.  It  would  also  be  useful  in  bringing  supplies  from  a 
distance, — a  thing  which  might  often  have  to  be  done,  as,  for 
instance,  in  the  case  of  possible  famine  caused  through  the 
desolating  effects  of  slavery. 

When  Alexander  Mackay,  that  hero  of  Uganda,  was  about  to 
proceed  to  the  Victoria  Nyanza  under  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  we  all  know  the  difficulties  which  he  experienced  in  the 
construction  of  a  steamer  for  that  great  expanse  of  water.  The 
Society  laid  aside  three  hundred  pounds  for  a  portable  engine  and 
boiler  to  be  fitted  into  a  wooden  boat  to  be  built  by  the  mission- 
aries on  the  Nyanza.  Many  weary  days  Mackay  spent  in  London 
attending  to  the  building  of  an  engine  on  the  principle  of  welded 
rings,  each  piece  not  too  heavy  to  be  carried  by  two  men.  It  was 
only  after  much  patience  and  perseverance  that  such  an  engine  was 
built.  Even  more  wonderful  in  construction  was  the  little  steamer 
built,  at  the  design  of  Mr  Young,  for  the  Livingstonia  Mission.  It 
was  named  Ilala>  from  the  place  where  Dr  Livingstone  died — an 
evidence  that  it  would  take  up  the  work  where  he  left  it.  It  drew 
only  five  feet  of  water,  and  had  forty  horse-power.  It  was  fifty 
feet  long,  built  of  steel  plates,  and  fastened  by  screws  in  such  a 
way  that  the  whole  of  it  could  be  taken  to  pieces  for  transport  past 
the  seventy  miles  of  the  Murchison  Cataract  on  the  Shire — the 
only  broken  link  in  the  chain  of  communication  between  the 
London  Docks  and  Lake  Nyasa.  Dr  Livingstone  had  tried  to  get 
a  vessel  of  this  kind  placed  on  the  Lake,  but  one  part  of  it  unfor- 
tunately weighed  four  and  a-half  tons,  and  it  would  have  taken  200 


PREPARATIONS 


39 


men  two  years  to  make  a  special  road  round  the  Cataract  for  it 
and  so  the  project  had  to  be  abandoned.     But  the  Ilala  was  a 
much  more  convenient  craft,  and  carefully  constructed  with  a  view 
to  the  portability  of  its  sections.     There  were  also  two  small  teak 
boats  prepared  for  river  service. 

But  something  more  required  to  be  done  before  the  party  could 
sail  from  England.  How  was  the  expedition  to  obtain  entrance 
to  Nyasaland,  through  territories  which  were  supposed  to  belong 
to  Portugal  ?  The  Portuguese  authorities  near  the  Zambesi  mouth 
and  inland  were  well  known  for  their  slavery  proclivities,  and  for 
their  restrictive  regulations  along  the  course  of  that  great  river. 
What  if  they  should  forbid  the  enterprise,  or  impede  its  progress  ? 
Besides,  the  Portuguese  used  their  African  colonies  as  convict  settle- 
ments, and  many  of  these  convicts  were  allowed  to  scatter  themselves 
over  the  Zambesi  district,  committing  outrages  and  fomenting 
trouble.  In  Livingstone's  time  there  was  a  half-caste  of  the  name 
of  Bonga,  a  terror  on  the  river  by  his  piracies.  Another,  named 
Mariano,  a  villainous  slaver,  swept  the  whole  Shire*  valley  with 
fire  and  sword.  How  was  the  expedition  to  pass  in  safety  through 
districts  infested  with  so  great  a  plague  ? 

Here  God  graciously  interposed  on  behalf  of  the  Mission,  through 
that  ever-generous  friend  of  Africa,  Sir  William  Mackinnon.  The 
Steam  Navigation  Company,  of  which  he  was  the  head,  and  which 
was  extending  its  line  from  Zanzibar  southward  along  the  coast, 
had  entered,  for  its  own  sake,  into  friendly  negotiations  with  the 
Portuguese  Ambassador  and  Consul-General  in  London.  As  a 
result,  Sir  William  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  an  official  notice 
commending  the  whole  expedition  to  the  care  and  protection  of 
the  Portuguese  agents  both  on  the  coast  and  inland. 

Within  twelve  months  after  the  proposed  Mission  had  been  ad- 
vocated by  Dr  Stewart  in  the  Assembly,  all  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions had  been  made.  He  who  had  said,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,"  had  kept  His 
promise, — "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always." 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  EXPEDITION 

UNDER  the  Committee's  guidance,  the  whole  party  had  received 
written  instructions,  drafted  mainly  by  Dr  Stewart,  regarding  the 
conduct  of  the  Expedition,  and  the  peculiarity  of  their  work  in 
Africa.  According  to  these,  Mr  Young  was  to  have  the  full 
management  of  everything,  the  second  in  charge  being  Dr  Laws. 
In  regard  to  a  site  for  the  Mission  station,  it  was  understood  that 
this  could  only  be  settled  by  observation  on  the  spot ;  but  generally, 
the  promontory  known  as  Cape  Maclear,  at  the  extreme  south  of 
the  Lake,  was  recommended.  Regular  entries  were  to  be  kept  of 
all  the  stores  bartered,  and  of  the  different  expenditures ;  and 
records  were  to  be  taken — for  a  few  years  at  least — of  daily 
temperature,  atmospheric  changes,  the  directions  of  wind,  the 
amount  of  rainfall,  and  the  health  of  the  party — this  work  being 
committed  to  Dr  Laws,  as  medical  officer.  The  importance  of 
direct  missionary  work  was  enlarged  on,  the  party  being  instructed 
to  lose  no  time  in  acquainting  the  natives  with  the  principal  object 
of  the  Mission,  namely,  "the  enlightenment  of  their  minds,  the 
salvation  of  their  souls,  and,  as  the  sure  consequent  of  all  this,  the 
elevation  of  their  character  and  the  improvement  of  their  general 
condition,  individual  and  social."  In  connection  with  the  slave- 
trade,  so  rampant  around  the  Lake,  active  interference  by  force 
was  in  no  case  to  be  resorted  to,  lest  the  Mission  should  become 
surrounded  with  an  atmosphere  of  insecurity,  but  kindly  and  con- 
ciliatory measures  were  to  be  adopted.  Finally  the  party  were 
commended  to  God  and  to  the  word  of  His  grace,  which  was  able 
to  build  them  up  and  give  them  an  inheritance  among  them  that 
are  sanctified. 

With  instructions  of  such  an  excellent  nature,  the  little  band  of 
missionaries  could  not  go  far  amiss.  Dr  Duff,  along  with  Dr  Goold 
as  a  representative  from  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  went 
up  to  London  to  make  final  arrangements  for  their  departure  in  the 


THE  EXPEDITION  41 

Walmer  Castle.  On  the  day  previous  to  embarkation,  Rev.  Horace 
Waller  also  gathered  the  whole  party  together,  and  gave  them  many 
practical  hints  and  counsels  in  regard  to  African  fever  and  other 
trying  experiences  through  which  they  might  be  called  to  pass. 
When  the  time  of  departure  drew  near  they  all  assembled  in  the 
saloon  of  the  ship,  where  fervent  prayer  was  offered  for  their  safety 
and  the  success  of  the  Mission.  With  the  two  small  boats  reposing 
safely  on  the  deck,  and  the  pieces  of  the  Ilala  stowed  in  the  hold, 
they  left  London  on  the  2ist  May  1875,  about  thirteen  months 
after  Dr  Livingstone's  body  had  been  laid  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

After  a  fair  voyage  they  arrived  at  Cape  Town  on  June  i  yth, 
where  they  met  Dr  Stewart,  who  had  gone  on  from  London  by  a 
previous  mail  steamer  to  make  preparations  for  their  arrival.  Here 
a  largely  attended  public  meeting  was  held  on  the  24th  to  welcome 
them,  the  arrangements  for  which  were  kindly  made  by  Rev.  Mr 
Russell  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  his  Session.  The  audience 
was  a  most  influential  one,  no  finer  or  more  representative  meeting 
of  the  metropolis  of  South  Africa  having  been  seen  before. 
Mr  David  Tennant,  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Assembly, 
occupied  the  chair.  On  and  round  the  platform  were  ministers 
of  nearly  all  the  Protestant  denominations,  members  of  the 
Legislature,  and  other  persons  of  high  standing.  The  dis- 
tinguished astronomer,  Sir  Thomas  Maclear ;  the  Premier  of  the 
colony ;  the  Secretary  for  Native  Affairs ;  the  venerable  Arch- 
deacon Badnall,  Canon  Lightfoot,  and  other  ministers  of  the 
Anglican  Church  ;  Rev.  Dr  Robertson  of  the  Dutch  Church  ;  and 
many  other  influential  ministers  and  laymen  were  there  to  give 
their  support  to  the  undertaking. 

After  leaving  Cape  Town  the  difficulties  and  hardships  of  the 
Expedition  began.  It  was  desirable  that  a  steamer  should  be 
obtained  which  would  convey  the  party  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Zambesi  before  the  rainy  season  commenced ;  but  it  must  be 
remembered  that  there  were  no  facilities  then,  such  as  exist  now, 
for  reaching  the  Zambesi  river,  or  any  convenient  place  near  it. 
The  party  had  consequently  to  fall  back  upon  a  German  schooner, 
the  Hara,  of  133  tons,  which  they  chartered  for  the  voyage. 
Into  this  small  sailing  vessel  they  transhipped  all  their  stores  and 
goods,  with  the  exception  of  some  which  it  was  impossible  to 
reach  on  account  of  their  being  placed  beneath  the  Port  Elizabeth 
cargo,  and  which  the  captain  of  the  Walmer  Castle  arranged  to 


42  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

leave  for  them  at  Algoa  Bay.  Encouraged  by  many  good  wishes, 
they  left  Cape  Town  on  June  26th,  and  after  a  voyage  of  nearly 
500  miles,  reached  Algoa  Bay,  where  they  found  their  goods 
awaiting  them,  and  stowed  them  into  the  Hara  with  all 
despatch. 

With  everything  now  on  board,  they  set  sail  for  the  Zambesi 
mouth  on  July  6th.  It  was  a  voyage  of  1300  miles,  amid  variable 
weather,  with  many  heavy  squalls  and  showers.  A  week  after 
sailing  they  were  caught  by  a  terrific  gale,  and  for  a  long  time 
had  to  run  under  bare  poles;  but  fortunately  no  damage  was 
done  to  the  little  vessel,  and  the  wind  changed  in  a  few  days  to  a 
six-knot  breeze,  which  did  them  a  good  turn.  On  the  igth  they 
sighted  land  somewhere  near  the  Zambesi  Delta,  but  experienced 
no  small  difficulty  in  finding  the  Kongone"  entrance,  the  one  they 
had  arranged  to  make.  There  are  numerous  outlets  by  which  the 
Zambesi  enters  the  ocean,  and  in  those  days,  when  so  little  was 
known  of  this  region,  it  required  a  very  practised  eye  to  distinguish 
one  from  the  other.  The  lowness  of  the  coast,  covered  with 
mangrove  swamps,  and  the  want  of  distinguishing  marks  led  them 
out  of  their  reckoning,  and  for  two  days  they  sailed  up  and 
down  unable  to  determine  their  position,  while  the  rain 
poured  in  torrents,  and  heavy  squalls  struck  them  from  different 
quarters. 

At  last,  at  midday,  on  July  23rd,  they  discovered  the  Kongone" 
bar,  with  its  white  breakers  stretching  right  across.  This  is  a  bar 
on  which  at  low  tide  there  is  only  a  depth  of  five  to  six  feet  of 
water,  and  not  many  ships  succeed  in  getting  over  it.  This  first 
missionary  party,  however,  waited  patiently  until  the  rising  tide 
gave  them  nine  feet  of  water,  and  then  with  a  slight  bump  they 
sailed  over  it,  and  at  five  p.m.  had  the  unbounded  pleasure  of 
anchoring  in  Zambesi  waters. 

"There  is  no  native  village  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  now," 
wrote  Dr  Laws,  "  but  in  the  evening  three  men  appeared.  Pulling 
ashore,  we  received  from  them  a  warm  welcome,  expressed  by 
clapping  their  hands.  While  walking  along  the  shore,  looking  for 
a  suitable  place  to  build  our  boat,  a  human  skull  and  several  other 
bones  were  found  lying  a  little  above  high-water  mark.  This,  and 
the  sight  of  several  half-starved  moving  skeletons,  made  one  sigh 
that  better  days  may  soon  come  for  benighted  Africa." 

The  Ilala  had  now  to  be  put  together,  so  that  the  party  might 


THE  EXPEDITION  43 

sail  in  it  up  the  Zambesi  and  Shire  rivers  to  Nyasa.  Fortunately 
there  was  little  difficulty  in  securing  the  services  of  the  natives, 
who  were  delighted  at  the  arrival  of  the  "Ingre"si"  (English),  and 
offered  to  work  at  the  small  wage  of  one  yard  of  calico  per  day. 
Tall,  handsome  men  they  were,  although  frightfully  disfigured — as 
Africans  generally  are — by  the  way  they  had  tattooed  their  faces 
and  breasts,  presenting  an  appearance  as  if  a  number  of  split-peas 
were  strewn  beneath  their  skin.  But  they  were  intelligent,  able, 
and  ready  to  work.  "  Many  of  them,"  says  Dr  Laws,  "  came  long 
distances  in  their  canoes  to  work  for  us,  and  stayed  several  days, 
sleeping  all  night  round  their  fires,  rolled  in  their  grass  mats.  In 
the  morning  we  went  ashore  at  sunrise,  and  had  them  set  to  work, 
writing  down  each  man's  name  on  a  bit  of  paper,  and  chalking  a 
corresponding  number  on  his  back,  one  or  two  being  so  greasy 
that  the  chalk  could  leave  no  traces  on  their  skin." 

With  the  willing  help  of  these  natives,  and  the  use  of  the 
Haras  appliances,  the  Ilala  was  quickly  pieced  together.  Only 
one  unexpected  difficulty  beset  the  work.  Most  of  the  bolts  for 
screwing  the  plates  together  were  found  to  be  in  such  a  state  of 
rust  as  to  make  it  almost  impossible  to  use  them.  They  had 
unfortunately  been  packed  in  sand-encrusted  barrels,  without  being 
first  steeped  in  oil  or  anything  to  prevent  such  a  result.  There 
was  nothing  for  it  but  to  scour  them  one  by  one,  a  laborious 
and  vexatious  task,  which  Mr  Young  and  the  natives  accomplished 
under  the  heat  of  a  July  sun.  At  last,  on  August  2nd,  nine  days 
after  the  keel  was  laid,  the  little  steamer  was  successfully  launched 
on  the  Kongone"  waters;  and  on  the  xoth,  after  parting  with 
Captain  Rasper,  the  missionary  band  began  the  long  journey  of 
nearly  400  miles  to  Lake  Nyasa. 

So  far  all  had  gone  well,  but  now  the  real  perils  of  the  enterprise 
commenced.  Among  other  things,  the  season  of  the  year  was 
not  the  most  favourable  for  the  navigation  of  the  Zambesi  and 
Shird  rivers  with  a  steamer  like  the  Ilala,  as  there  was  only  three 
or  four  feet  of  water  in  some  places.  In  addition,  there  were  low 
malarious  lands  to  be  passed  through,  with  thick  vegetation  on 
each  side,  shutting  out  the  air,  and  making  the  heat  almost 
unbearable.  Mr  Young,  however,  conducted  the  party  through 
these  dangers  with  wonderful  skill  and  success.  Writing  from 
Mazaro,  about  eighty  miles  up  the  Zambesi,  he  gives  us  some  idea, 
of  the  journey  : — r 


44  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

"We  arrived  here  quite  safe  and  well,  after  a  very  difficult 
journey  up,  owing  to  the  river  being  so  low.  The  health  of  the 
party  is  exceedingly  good — in  fact,  we  have  not  had  time  as  yet  to 
think  of  fever.  I  intend  to  keep  going  as  fast  as  I  can,  and  hope 
to  be  at  the  Cataracts  in  a  week  from  this.  My  seaman  has  been 
absent  in  one  of  the  boats  conveying  provisions  up,  so  more  work 
has  come  to  my  share  than  I  ever  had  to  do  before,  and  already 
I  am  getting  very  grey ;  but  I  trust  God  will  spare  me  to  carry  out 
this  great  and  noble  work. 

"  We  had  a  sad  disaster  coming  up.  The  steamer  was  ashore 
on  a  sand-bank,  so  I  told  the  man  in  charge  of  the  boat  I  had  in 
tow  to  proceed  on.  After  going  some  distance  he  made  sail,  but 
a  squall  overtaking  him,  he  neglected  to  lower  the  sail  in  time ; 
the  consequence  was  she  capsized,  and  one,  if  not  two,  of  the 
native  crew  were  drowned,  in  addition  to  which  the  greater  part  of 
our  personal  luggage  was  lost.  I  myself  have  lost  everything  in 
the  shape  of  clothes,  also  many  private  things  I  was  taking  out 
from  friends  to  natives  on  the  Lake.  I  don't  at  present  know 
how  to  get  more,  so  I  suppose  I  will  have  to  make  a  suit  out  of 
my  blanket,  to  serve  me  night  and  day.  I  am  glad  to  say  none 
of  the  Mission  stores  were  lost.  I  shall  feel  the  loss  of  my  boots 
and  socks  most;  but  there  are  worse  things  happen  at  sea,  is  the 
old  saying." 

The  catastrophe  referred  to  by  Mr  Young  was  a  most  lamentable 
one.  Apart  from  the  loss  of  life,  not  only  most  of  his  own  clothes, 
but  most  of  those  belonging  to  Messrs  Macfadyen,  Johnston,  and 
Riddell  were  somewhere  at  the  bottom  of  the  river,  and  we  do 
not  wonder  that  they  had  a  mournful  and  particular  interest  in 
observing  what  garments  they  happened  to  have  on  when  this 
startling  announcement  was  made  to  them.  They  were  now  far 
beyond  the  confines  of  civilization,  in  a  region  utterly  destitute  of 
clothiers  and  even  of  cloth ;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  their  own 
ingenuity  they  might  have  been  reduced  in  a  short  time  to  the 
primitive  fig-leaves.  Fortunately,  Dr  Laws  had  nearly  all  his 
baggage  on  board  the  Ilala  at  the  time,  and  this  afforded  some 
consolation. 

From  Mazaro  they  steamed  to  Shupanga,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Zambesi,  where  tender  associations  at  least  compelled  them 
to  halt  for  a  while.  It  was  here  that  Dr  Livingstone's  wife  was 
taken  from  him  by  death,  after  she  had  spent  only  three  weeks  on 


MRS  LIVINGSTONE'S  GRAVE  AT  SHUPANGA  ON  THE  RIVER  ZAMBESI. 


THE  EXPEDITION  4$ 

the  river  since  her  arrival  from  London.  It  was  a  terrible  bereave- 
ment to  him,  and  came  amid  all  the  distresses  of  the  Universities' 
Mission  and  the  enormous  difficulties  of  his  Zambesi  Expedition. 
The  day  when  Rev.  Horace  Waller,  Dr  Stewart,  Mr  Young,  and 
others  laid  her  to  rest  under  a  giant  baobab  tree,  was  one  never  to 
be  forgotten  by  them.  The  whole  scene  now  came  back  vividly  to 
Mr  Young's  mind  as  he  landed  from  the  llala.  The  place  seemed 
deserted,  but  there  was  the  old  house  still  standing,  in  which  she 
had  breathed  her  last  fourteen  years  before !  And  there,  not  far 
off,  under  the  immense  boughs  of  the  tree,  were  the  mound  and 
cross,  marking  her  last  earthly  resting  place !  A  fine  road  had 
now  been  made  to  it  through  the  long  grass  by  the  natives ;  and 
on  walking  up  this  road  the  whole  party  were  struck  with  the 
particular  care  these  dark  friends  had  taken  of  the  surroundings, 
keeping  the  place  clear  of  undergrowth  and  rank  vegetation. 
They  were  solemn  and  thoughtful  moments  which  the  party  spent 
beside  the  white  tomb. 

Having  laid  in  a  large  stock  of  woodj  they  started  again  on 
August  i  Qth,  and  three  days  later  arrived  at  the  Shire"  river. 
Here  they  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  the  proper  course  of  this 
great  tributary  in  the  various  currents  which  were  mingling  above 
the  junction.  Since  Mr  Young  had  been  there  last,  on  his  Living- 
stone Search  Expedition,  an  extraordinary  flood  had  occurred, 
leading  to  an  alteration  of  the  navigable  channel  at  this  point. 
"  Do  what  we  could,"  says  Mr  Young,  "  we  could  make  nothing 
of  it.  If  we  hit  on  a  channel  that  was  navigable,  it  ended  in  a 
cul-de-sac,  or  led  us  to  the  Zambesi;  and  at  last,  after  two  miserable 
days  and  nights,  with  very  stormy  weather,  I  sent  a  boat's  crew 
away  to  try  and  find  some  natives  to  pilot  us  out  of  this  abomin- 
able place.  These  they  succeeded  in  finding,  and  so  at  last  we 
had  a  chance  of  being  extricated.  To  bring  this  about  we  were 
taken  back  a  long  way,  and  had  eventually  to  cut  an  opening 
through  a  wall  of  reeds  and  grass  extending  quite  half-a-mile."  * 

In  spite  of  voracious  mosquitoes,  which  attacked  them  in 
hundreds,  and  other  annoyances,  they  ploughed  their  way  up  the 
Shire  amid  most  magnificent  scenery.  Travellers  are  never  done 
writing  of  the  charms  of  some  parts  of  the  Shire".  There  are  fringes 
of  white-flowered  reeds  at  the  waterside,  and  of  apple-green  papyrus, 
clusters  of  thick  bushes  overgrown  with  bind-weed  creepers,  and 
*  "Mission  to  Nyasa,"  by  E.  D.  Young,  p.  30. 


46  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

large  flowers  of  every  hue.  Rising  above  all  this  mass  of  foliage, 
there  are  groves  of  tropical  palm-trees  and  of  tall  acacias,  forest 
clumps  of  richest  green,  and  here  and  there  lovely  fairy  bowers 
formed  by  the  irregularities  of  the  banks.  Overlooking  the  river 
may  be  seen  the  great  blue  Morambala,  rising  4000  feet  above 
the  reeds,  as  well  as  other  notable  mountains ;  while  away  in  the 
distance  there  are  long  ranges,  standing  like  a  dark  silhouette 
against  the  pale-blue  sky,  and  reminding  Scotchmen  of  the  craggy 
heights  of  their  native  land.  At  certain  spots  enormous  flocks  of 
water  fowl  may  be  seen,  and  large  herds  of  wild  animals.  Buffaloes 
and  zebras  may  be  descried  careering  along.  Here  and  there  a 
huge  elephant  may  survey  the  traveller  for  a  moment,  and  then 
vanish  through  the  dense  thicket.  All  along  the  river  there  are 
innumerable  hippopotami,  snorting  and  splashing,  and  rapacious 
crocodiles,  both  of  which  are  a  source  of  great  danger  to  canoes. 
Large  fish-hawks  hover  overhead,  or  watch  from  the  branches  of  a 
tree  for  their  prey.  When  the  shades  of  night  fall  on  the  scene,  a 
roaring  lion  may  leave  his  den  and  lurk  near  the  banks,  literally 
"  seeking  whom  he  may  devour." 

The  reader  must  not  imagine,  however,  that  this  river-journeying 
was  easy  work  and  pleasant  sailing.  Mr  Young  assures  us  that  the 
most  of  the  journey  was  difficult  work  on  account  of  the  many  sand- 
banks, snags,  and  rocks  that  had  to  be  passed.  The  party  had 
sometimes  to  labour  night  and  day  to  overcome  these  difficulties. 
The  Ilala,  with  its  large  draught  of  water,  had  not  been  intended 
for  river  service,  but  for  sailing  on  the  deep  waters  of  the  Lake. 
Consequently,  it  was  continually  taking  the  ground,  and  had  to  be 
lightened  as  much  as  possible  every  now  and  then.  It  had  some- 
times to  be  emptied  of  everything  except  half  a  bag  of  coals,  and 
hauled  by  means  of  anchors  and  cables  over  the  shallows  into  the 
deeper  water  beyond.  This  necessitated  severe  work  for  the  whole 
party.  Mr  Young  never  went  to  sleep  nor  let  anyone  else  do  so, 
till  the  vessel  was  hauled  off  any  sandbank  she  might  have  struck. 
On  this  account,  much  of  the  river  journey  was  by  no  means  a 
pleasant  experience  to  them. 

On  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Ruo  river  at  Chiromo,  they 
halted  for  some  time  to  visit  the  grave  of  Bishop  Mackenzie — 
the  first  Universities'  missionary  to  die  in  the  Shire"  swamps.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  this  Mission,  representing  the  English 
Universities,  was  founded  at  Magomero,  in  the  Shird  Highlands, 


THE  EXPEDITION  47 

as  a  result  of  Dr  Livingstone's  first  visit  home.  It  was  founded 
with  the  assistance  of  the  great  explorer  himself;  but  the  time 
selected  was  somewhat  unfortunate,  and  when  Livingstone  left  to 
attend  to  his  explorations  on  Lake  Nyasa,  everything  seemed  to  go 
against  the  missionaries.  Fever  and  famine  looked  them  in  the 
face,  the  anxiety  and  stress  being  terrible.  Most  of  them  took  ill, 
and  at  the  same  time  300  liberated  slaves  had  to  be  fed  off  little  or 
nothing.  At  last  the  Bishop  resolved  to  venture  to  the  Shire  river, 
where  Livingstone's  steamer  was  plying.  He  set  out  on  this  long 
journey  of  about  fifty  miles  in  January  1862,  accompanied  by  a 
young  missionary,  the  Rev.  H.  de  W.  Burrup.  They  had  to 
journey  amid  the  drenching  storms  of  the  rainy  season.  They 
managed,  however,  to  reach  the  Shire*  river  at  its  juncture  with 
the  Ruo;  but  here,  on  the  island  of  Malo,  the  dreaded  fever 
seized  Mackenzie.  Nothing  could  be  done  for  him,  as  the 
medicines  had  been  lost  in  the  river.  Burrup  himself  was  almost 
prostrate,  but  he  ferried  the  body  across  to  the  mainland,  before 
he  returned  to  Magomero.  There  he  fell  into  delirium  and  died 
himself.  It  was  a  great  blow  to  the  Mission.  Mackenzie  was  the 
personification  of  everything  kind,  tender-hearted  and  heroic.  In 
his  earlier  days  he  had  done  missionary  work  in  the  new  colony 
of  Natal  in  company  with  Bishop  Colenso;  and  although  his 
death,  humanly  speaking,  was  premature — like  a  year  that  ends 
in  May — his  devotion  to  Africa  places  him  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
missionaries  of  the  Anglican  Church. 

Mr  Young  and  his  party  could  find  no  trace  of  the  grave. 
They  had  to  guess  the  site  of  it ;  and  there  they  raised  a  mound 
and  erected  a  handsome  iron  cross,  which  had  been  entrusted  to 
their  care  before  they  left  London  by  Miss  Mackenzie,  sister  of  the 
missonary. 

After  leaving  this  sacred  spot  they  passed  onward  through  the 
Elephant  Marsh — which  is  said  to  have  been  a  great  lake  at  one 
time,  but  to  have  become  a  marsh  through  the  deeper  cutting  of  the 
river.  On  reaching  the  north  end  they  were  considerably  cheered 
by  receiving  a  kind,  hospitable,  and  even  enthusiastic  welcome 
from  the  Makololo  tribes,  who  dwelt  in  the  villages  around  here. 
As  we  may  have  occasion  frequently  to  refer  to  these  tribes,  a 
word  or  two  regarding  their  unique  position  in  those  early  days 
may  not  be  out  of  place. 

The   Makololo  were   Livingstone's  famous   porters,  who   had 


48  DATEREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON1A 

followed  him  from  the  Barutse  country  above  the  Victoria  Falls, 
and  who  remained  faithful  to  him  during  his  long  expedition  in 
the  Zambesi  and  Shire  districts.  When  the  heroic  traveller  was 
recalled  by  Her  Majesty's  Government  in  1864,  he  left  these 
porters  behind  on  the  Lower  Shire,  having  first  armed  them  and 
instructed  them  to  protect  the  poor  Nyanja  natives  from  the  depre- 
dations of  the  Yao  slavers  on  the  east,  and  the  brutal  raids  of  the 
wandering  Ngoni  Zulus  on  the  west.  The  country  being  in  a  panic- 
stricken  condition,  these  Makololo  became  masters  of  the  situation, 
and  under  Maloko,  the  leading  spirit  among  them,  they  constituted 
themselves  the  chiefs  of  the  district.  In  a  few  years,  on  account 
of  so  many  refugees  having  settled  down  beside  them,  they 
numbered  their  followers  by  thousands ;  and  as  they  lived  within 
stockaded  villages,  and  were  effective  governors,  they  became  a 
Power  of  the  first  rank,  so  far  as  native  Powers  went,  holding 
every  important  position  between  the  Ruo  and  the  Murchison 
Cataracts,  and  being  able  to  take  their  stand  against  any  ordinary 
African  foe.  They  were  undoubtedly  cruel  in  many  ways,  as  might 
be  expected  from  untutored  heathen,  and  were  sometimes  despotic 
and  tyrannical  in  their  rule,  their  word  being  law,  whether  for 
good  or  evil ;  but  they  were  a  valuable  counterpoise  to  the  more 
evil-inclined  tribes.  They  had  saved — and  were  still  saving — the 
country  not  only  from  the  Yao  and  Ngoni  but  from  Portuguese 
convicts,  for  they  had  a  creed,  a  resolution,  given  to  them  by 
Livingstone,  that  no  Portuguese  power  with  slaving  tendencies 
should  ascend  the  Shire".  This  resolution  had  become  strengthened 
by  the  fact  that  Maloko  was  waylaid  one  day  by  emissaries  of 
Bonga,  a  Portuguese  convict,  and  riddled  to  death  with  bullets. 
After  that  they  looked  upon  all  Portuguese  as  deadly  enemies. 

Having  been  Livingstone's  men,  these  Makololo  reverenced  the 
name  of  the  "  English."  When  Mr  Young  passed  up  the  Shire 
in  1867,  their  reception  of  him  was  enthusiastic  beyond  description, 
the  reappearance  of  the  British  flag  being  vehemently  cheered. 
They  adopted — or,  at  least,  tried  to  adopt — English  manners  and 
habits  to  such  an  extent  that  some  of  the  surrounding  tribes 
imagined  them  to  be  related  in  some  way  to  the  White  Queen. 
Many  of  them  wore  trousers,  or  garments  like  these,  instead  of  a 
small  rag  of  calico  round  their  loins,  and  saluted  one  another, 
whenever  possible,  with  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand  and  "  Mone  " 
for  "Good  morning."  They  had  even  looked  on  the  sea,  the 


THE  EXPEDITION  49 

supposed  birth-place  and  home  of  white  men !  These  were 
unique  advantages,  as  they  thought,  giving  them  a  sort  of  English 
prestige,  and  placing  them  far  above  their  less  privileged  brethren. 

On  this  occasion,  as  Mr  Young  entered  the  territory  of  these 
friendly  Makololo  with  the  Livingstonia  Expedition,  their  en- 
thusiasm was  so  great  that  they  could  hardly  contain  themselves. 
When  the  steamer  was  fairly  into  their  territory  they  congregated 
at  the  river  bank  in  thousands,  clapping  their  hands  with  joy,  and 
shouting  jubilantly  at  the  return  of  their  "  fathers,  the  English." 
When  Mr  Young  made  known  to  them  the  purpose  of  the  Mission 
they  were  delighted  with  it,  and  promised  their  help  to  the  utmost. 
One  of  the  saddest  pieces  of  news  to  them  was  that  Dr  Livingstone 
was  dead. 

For  this  remarkable  welcome  by  the  Makololo  and  similar  tribes, 
we  must  give  all  thanks  to  Livingstone  and  other  Christian 
missionaries,  such  as  Bishop  Mackenzie  and  his  party.  The 
native  suspicions  and  timidity  which  had  once  existed  in  East 
Central  Africa  had  so  far  been  cleared  away  by  these  servants  of 
Christ  many  years  before;  and  ever  since  that  time  the  deep- 
rooted  confidence  of  the  natives  in  Britain's  goodness  had  developed 
a  hundredfold.  The  black  man  had  come  to  realise  that  Britain 
was  opposed  to  his  being  captured  as  a  slave,  and  was  in  all 
sincerity  his  friend  and  deliverer.  In  his  mind,  the  presence  of 
the  British  flag — the  ensign  of  the  great  White  Queen  beyond  the 
seas — had  become  associated  with  liberty  and  justice.  Borne  in 
front  of  white  men,  he  had  never  as  yet  seen  it  betray  the  cause 
of  freedom  or  be  mingled  with  the  passions  of  war.  It  was  this 
benign  conception  of  Britain — originated  by  Livingstone  and  his 
followers — that  secured  the  tranquil  passage  of  this  Expedition 
through  the  Shire  regions,  and  led  to  the  extreme  readiness  of 
all  the  tribes  to  receive  the  Livingstonia  party. 

This  friendliness  of  the  Makololo,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  did  not 
always  continue.  In  later  years,  many  Europeans — hunters  and 
adventurers,  who  were  not  of  the  best  class — took  advantage  of 
them,  and  treated  them  with  injustice  and  abominable  cruelty, 
leading  them  to  become  somewhat  inimical  to  all  white  settlers. 
It  was  not  until  1889,  when  a  British  Commissioner  was  appointed 
for  Nyasaland,  that  they  renewed  their  friendship.  It  is  lamentable 
to  think,  that  through  the  unrestrained  passions  of  lawless  English- 
men, these  natives  who  were  once  Livingstone's  most  faithful 
D 


50  DATBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

attendants,  should  have  been  led  to  take  up  such  a  hostile 
position.  Our  countrymen,  alas !  have  not  always  had  a  good 
character  in  Central  Africa. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  Mr  Young  and  his  party  reached 
Chibisa's,  not  far  from  the  Murchison  Cataracts,  and  the  place 
where  the  Universities'  Mission  had  settled  for  two  years  after 
its  withdrawal  from  Magomero.  Here  both  sides  of  the  river  were 
literally  swarming  with  villages,  inhabited  by  the  captives  whom 
Livingstone  and  Bishop  Mackenzie  had  liberated  from  the  cruel 
whips  of  Portuguese  slavers  thirteen  years  before.  The  party 
received  a  hearty  welcome — from  fathers  and  mothers  who  had  had 
the  slave  sticks  wrenched  from  their  necks  by  Livingstone,  and 
from  children  who  had  heard  the  thrilling  tale  from  their  parents' 
lips.  Before  leaving,  they  visited  the  graves  of  Rev.  H.  Scudamore 
and  Dr  Dickinson,  two  of  the  Universities'  missionaries  who  fell  in 
the  breach  in  those  dark  days ;  and  here,  as  elsewhere,  they  found 
that  great  respect  had  been  shown  in  their  preservation.  This 
little  colony  of  captives  had  not  forgotten  the  noble  Christian  men 
who  gave  them  their  freedom,  who  stood  beside  them  through  days 
of  war  and  famine,  and  some  of  whom  laid  down  their  lives  among 
them. 

It  was  with  feelings  of  profound  gladness  that  the  party  on  the 
next  day  reached  Matiti,  at  the  Murchison  Cataracts,  having  thus 
accomplished  the  first  part  of  their  long  journey.  They  had  now 
to  change  their  mode  of  travel.  For  sixty  miles  at  this  place  the 
Shire  river  plunges  downward  in  a  succession  of  rapids  and  cascades, 
hurling  itself  over  rocks  and  precipices,  falling  at  one  time  through 
dark  glens  overhung  with  tropical  vegetation,  and  at  another 
through  open  sunlit  stretches.  The  Ilala  had  therefore  to  be 
taken  to  pieces,  and  borne  upward  to  the  head  of  these  Cataracts, 
and  there  reconstructed  for  the  final  journey.  As  carts  and  horses 
were  unknown  in  this  barbarous  region,  everything  had  to  be 
carried  by  the  natives. 

Several  days  were  occupied  in  taking  the  vessel  to  pieces  and 
cleaning  the  sections,  and  in  arranging  the  stores  into  fifty-pound 
loads.  It  seems  to  be  natural  for  native  porters,  however  friendly 
they  may  be,  to  dispute  the  weight  of  their  loads,  thus  causing 
much  delay  and  vexation.  But  Mr  Young  overcame  this  knotty 
question  by  adopting  the  plan  of  measuring  every  load  by  a  steel- 
yard, hung  in  a  tree,  and  so  avoiding  all  guess  work  and  conse- 


THE  EXPEDITION  51 

quent  wrangling.  The  plan  was  not  only  successful,  but  quite 
novel  to  the  natives,  as  they  were  not  acquainted  at  that  time  with 
any  standards  of  weight.  The  loads  were  then  carried  overland  in 
four  detachments  by  over  1000  natives  who  poured  in  from  all 
parts  for  this  purpose,  being  prompted  to  the  work  by  Ramakukane 
and  other  Makololo.  The  first  caravan  was  ready  by  the  i2th — 
six  days  after  reaching  Matiti — and  was  under  the  care  of  Messrs 
Henderson,  Johnston,  Macfadyen,  and  Simpson.  The  second 
was  a  native  caravan  of  100  men  with  engines  and  boiler.  The 
third  was  led  by  Mr  Young  and  Dr  Laws.  The  fourth,  under  the 
charge  of  Messrs  Riddell  and  Baker,  carried  the  contents  of  the 
canoes  which  followed  the  steamer.  Before  the  third  detachment 
began  their  march  Mr  Young  addressed  the  enormous  crowd  that 
had  assembled  to  witness  the  departure.  Uncovering  his  head, 
along  with  the  rest  of  the  party,  he  explained  why  they  had  come 
— to  teach  the  people  concerning  God,  to  show  them  the  benefits 
of  industry,  and  to  help  in  banishing  the  slave-trade,  which  had  so 
long  oppressed  them.  He  finished  by  asking  them  to  remain 
silent  while  prayer  was  offered  to  God  to  prosper  the  undertaking, 
so  full  of  trials  and  immense  difficulties. 

The  journey  was  managed  in  five  days,  but  according  to  all 
accounts,  was  certainly  no  easy  matter.  The  road  was  only  a  foot- 
path, some  eight  or  ten  inches  wide,  leading  up  through  a  steep, 
rugged,  mountainous  district,  with  long  grass  and  deep  thickets ; 
while  overhead  was  a  scorching  sun — close  on  a  hundred  degrees 
in  the  shade — which  heated  the  steel  plates  to  such  an  extent  as 
to  make  it  painful  to  hold  them.  What  is,  perhaps,  most  surprising 
of  all,  there  were  no  articles  that  disappeared,  or  were  found  missing, 
though  everything  was  at  the  mercy  of  these  dark  strangers.  At 
almost  every  turn  there  were  defiles  and  rocky  passes  which  might 
have  furnished  a  hiding  place  for  a  thief  or  deserter,  who  could 
have  remained  there  in  safety  till  the  long  procession  had  passed, 
and  then  cast  away  his  heavy  burning  sheet  of  steel,  or  made  off 
with  his  burden  of  calico  in  the  hope  of  suddenly  enriching  him- 
self. Here  and  there,  too,  there  were  slippery  rocks  and  dangerous 
places  where  any  bearer,  faint  and  giddy  with  the  long  march, 
might  have  accidentally  missed  his  footing  and  lost  some  im- 
portant section  of  the  engine  in  the  turbulent  waters.  But  let 
it  be  said  to  the  honour  of  these  black-skinned  barbarians,  that 
after  the  sixty  miles  were  accomplished,  everything  was  found 


5  2  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

secure  and  uninjured,  and  every  carrier  pleased  with  his 
payment. 

The  journey  past  the  Cataracts  being  completed,  the  vessel  was 
then  reconstructed — this  time  in  a  permanent  manner.  When 
once  more  afloat,  the  vessel  was  found  to  be  quite  a  success. 
"  God  speed  you,"  said  Mr  Young,  and  the  party  echoed  a  deep 
and  hearty  Amen. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th  October  they  began  the  journey  up 
the  river,  having  still  100  miles  to  cover  before  reaching  the  great 
blue  waters  of  Nyasa.  After  three  days,  they  passed  through 
Lake  Malombe — a  shallow,  reed-fringed  lake,  swarming  with 
hippopotami,  and  having  an  area  at  that  time  of  about  100  square 
miles,  although  now  it  is  little  more  than  a  broad  channel  of  the 
Shire",  with  an  enormous  flat  island  in  the  centre.  Re-entering 
the  Shire1  again  at  the  northern  end,  they  steered  for  the  village  of 
Mponda. 

This  was  a  powerful  chief — a  wretched  instrument  of  the 
slave-trade — upon  whom  Dr  Livingstone  had  made  a  great  im- 
pression, when  he  stayed  in  his  district  on  his  last  journey,  and 
whose  territory  extended  all  the  way  up  to  Lake  Nyasa.  He  was 
known  for  his  drinking  habits,  being  generally  the  worse  of  pombd 
— the  native  beer,  which  is  a  thin  gruel  made  from  maize  or 
millet.  On  this  occasion  he  was  over  head  and  ears  in  slave- 
trading  operations.  Dr  Laws  thus  wrote : — 

"  Here  we  found  two  slave-trading  Arabs,  who,  I  suspect,  were 
far  from  relishing  our  arrival ;  and,  as  Mr  Young  wore  his  uniform 
cap  on  going  ashore,  they  noticed  it,  and  evidently  knew  the 
badge  very  well.  The  old  chief  appeared  quite  friendly,  but 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  come  on  board.  He  spread  a  mat  for 
us  to  sit  on,  but  our  legs  not  being  quite  so  flexible  as  theirs,  we 
were  supplied  with  greasy  pillows  as  stools.  We  sat  under  the 
protecting  eaves  of  his  large  house,  surrounded  by  scores  of  his 
people,  while  a  house  in  front  of  us  was  occupied  by  his  wives,  at 
least  thirty  or  forty  in  number,  who,  on  their  knees,  were  looking 
across  at  the  white  strangers,  while  the  Arabs,  by  and  by,  came 
along  to  bid  us  good  morning,  one  carrying  a  large  broad-bladed 
spear,  the  other  a  sword,  which  he  evidently  wished  us  to  take 
notice  of,  and  which  we  were  certainly  not  afraid  of. 

"  We  told  Mponda  our  errand,  that  we  wished  to  settle  on  the 
Lake,  and  asked  him  how  far  his  territory  extended.  We  find  it 


THE  EXPEDITION  53 

goes  all  round  Cape  Maclear,  right  over  to  the  western  side,  on 
which  he  has  two  villages.  He  gave  us  liberty  to  settle  on  his 
land,  and  sent  Wekotani  (his  brother-in-law)  and  another  man  to 
help  us  in  choosing  a  spot.  Two  of  our  interpreters  were  ashore 
all  night,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  Arabs  wished  to  checkmate 
us,  and  had  been  telling  stories,  that  we  were  come  to  take 
Mponda's  land.  Some  eight  or  ten  of  the  Arabs  are  making  a 
circuit  round  a  large  territory  at  present  to  procure  slaves,  and 
will  carry  them  across  the  lake  in  their  daus.  As  we  left  next 
morning  we  showed  them  a  little  of  what  our  steamer  could  do  in 
the  way  of  speed,  and,  with  the  British  ensign  flying  at  her  peak, 
she  looked  well  indeed.  Passing  the  northern  end  of  the  village, 
which  may  contain  say  3000  or  4000  people,  we  saw  two  slaves 
standing  with  the  yoke  on  their  necks,  and  their  hands  tied  behind 
them.  It  was  a  sight  which  made  my  blood  boil  within  me." 

The  sight  of  the  Ilala,  steaming  along  the  Upper  Shire",  caused 
a  deal  of  consternation  among  the  natives.  Not  many  of  them 
had  seen  anything  better  than  their  own  rough  dug-out  canoes, 
worked  by  punting  poles  and  paddles,  and  having  no  seats  or 
elaboration  of  any  kind.  The  size  and  capabilities  of  the  Ilala 
created  no  small  sensation,  the  natives  being  astonished  beyond 
measure  to  see  this  "  fire-ship  "  moving  along  without  the  help  of 
paddles  or  sails.  Its  arrival  also,  as  mentioned  above,  brought 
great  trepidation  to  the  Arab  slavers  near  the  Lake,  who  concluded 
that  it  was  a  gun-boat,  and  believed  that  it  sealed  the  doom  of 
their  trade ;  which  it  did,  in  one  sense,  although  not  exactly  as 
they  imagined.  It  was  the  first  steamer  to  float  upon  any  of  the 
inland  seas  of  Central  Africa,  the  forerunner  of  the  Daisy  on 
Victoria  Nyanza,  the  Good  News  and  the  Morning  Star  on 
Tanganyika,  the  Peace  on  Stanley  Pool  in  the  Congo,  and  others 
that  were  to  navigate  these  great  Lakes  for  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  and  the  introduction  of  legitimate  commerce. 

They  reached  Lake  Nyasa  on  i2th  October  1875,  as  the  rising 
sun  shed  its  golden  rays  on  the  western  mountains.  As  they 
entered  on  the  broad  waters,  they  felt  that  it  was  an  occasion  for 
great  thankfulness,  having  travelled  safely  from  the  Kongone" 
mouth,  and  "  Livingstonia "  being  now  almost  an  accomplished 
fact ;  and  so  they  sang  a  Psalm  of  praise  and  held  a  short  service 
in  their  little  vessel.  After  making  a  running  survey  of  the  south 
coast,  they  landed  at  six  p.m.  on  the  white  sandy  beach  of  Cape 


54  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

Maclear — the  small  peninsula  at  the  south  of  the  Lake,  named  by 
Livingstone  after  the  astronomer-royal  of  Cape  Town ;  and  here 
they  resolved  to  plant  the  Mission,  as  suggested  by  the  Committee. 
Here  they  settled  down  as  pioneer  missionaries,  amid  the  dangers 
of  a  malarial  climate,  among  an  ignorant  and  barbarous  people, 
and  surrounded  by  an  unknown  tongue,  but  with  a  noble  de- 
termination to  help  in  the  awakening  of  Central  Africa  out  of  its 
sleep  of  ages. 

While  not  forgetful  of  other  important  missions,  may  we  not  say 
that  the  arrival  of  this  first  mission  band  on  the  dark  shores  of 
Nyasa,  face  to  face  with  Africa's  evils,  and  amid  all  the  horrors  of 
the  slave  trade,  marked  an  epoch  in  the  emancipation  of  Africa  ? 
Let  us  remember  that  this  was  the  first  Mission  to  enter  any  of 
the  central  regions,  with  the  exception  of  the  Universities'  one, 
which  had  so  unfortunately  failed.  Other  missions  for  Central 
Africa  were  being  thought  of.  It  was  in  1875  tnat  tne  Daily 
Telegraph  published  Stanley's  famous  letter,  written  from  the 
Court  at  Uganda,  challenging  Christendom  to  send  missionaries 
there;  but  it  was  not  till  1876  that  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
sent  out  Alexander  M.  Mackay  and  others  to  that  place,  and  the 
London  Missionary  Society  planned  a  Mission  at  Ujiji,  on  the 
shores  of  Tanganyika.  Central  Africa  was  in  a  short  time  to  be 
occupied  by  many  effective  agencies,  and  to  become  the  most 
interesting  African  missionary  field.  But  this  Livingstonia  Mission 
was  the  first  to  be  planted  on  any  of  the  great  African  Lakes,  or 
in  any  of  those  dark  central  regions.  It  not  only  preceded  the 
missions  in  Uganda,  Tanganyika,  and  elsewhere,  but  gave  the 
initial  impulse  to  these. 

Let  us  remember,  too,  that  the  planting  of  this  Mission  was 
destined  to  have  far-reaching  results,  as  events  of  recent  years 
have  undoubtedly  proved.  It  may  be  compared  to  the  sublime 
Mission  of  Columba  to  our  own  shores,  thirteen  centuries  ago, 
when  a  small  boat,  bearing  a  little  company  of  missionaries,  might 
have  been  seen  directing  its  course,  amid  the  encircling  currents 
of  the  Argyleshire  Coast,  till  it  reached  a  little  creek  in  the  island 
of  lona.  Columba  and  his  peaceful  crusaders  stepped  on  shore, 
with  no  shout  of  welcome  to  hail  their  arrival,  and  kneeling  down 
on  the  silent  strand,  implored  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High.  It 
seemed  but  a  quiet  visit  of  a  few  strangers  from  the  sister  isle ; 
but,  in  reality,  it  was  one  of  the  greatest  episodes  in  the  history  of 


THE  EXPEDITION 


55 


Christianity,  the  good  results  of  which  no  man  can  calculate.  From 
that  insignificant  island  as  a  centre,  the  celtic  missionaries  carried 
the  tidings  of  salvation  over  the  North  of  Scotland,  the  North  of 
England,  and  a  large  part  of  Europe.  With  equal  certainty,  we 
may  say  that  when  this  first  Evangelical  Mission  party  sailed  up 
the  Shire",  and  landed  on  the  southern  shores  of  Nyasa,  it  meant 
the  dawning  of  Heaven's  kindly  light  on  the  Cimmerian  darkness 
of  Central  Africa — the  coming  of  a  golden  day  when  civilization 
and  Christianity  would  overspread  that  benighted  region  for  which 
the  noble  Livingstone  laid  down  his  life. 


CHAPTER  IV 
SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION 

.b'OR  the  benefit  of  some  of  our  readers  who  may  not  be  acquainted 
with  British  Central  Africa,  we  begin  this  chapter  with  a  brief 
description  of  Nyasaland,  and  of  the  Lake,  with  its  beautiful 
promontory  Cape  Maclear. 

Little  was  known  of  this  region  when  the  Livingstonia  Expedition 
ascended  the  Shire",  except  what  could  be  gathered  from  the  dis- 
coveries of  Livingstone.  We  now  know  it  to  be  a  remarkable 
country,  possessing  more  or  less  an  abundant  vegetation,  having 
an  average  rainfall  of  about  fifty  inches  per  annum,  and  well  watered 
by  perennial  streams  and  rivers.  Nowhere  is  there  any  desert  or 
open  sandy  stretch. 

The  west  coast  of  the  Lake — the  part  with  which  the  Mission 
is  more  closely  associated — is  especially  good.  To  the  south 
it  consists  mainly  of  a  strip  of  exceedingly  fertile  country, 
producing  enormous  quantities  of  rice  and  other  foods.  In  the 
centre  lies  the  country  of  the  Tonga,  a  friendly,  hard-working,  and 
interesting  people,  who  are  ruled  over  by  a  number  of  petty  chiefs. 
To  the  north  there  is  a  beautiful,  fertile  district — a  veritable 
Arcadia,  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  British  Commissioner 
and  others — inhabited  by  the  peaceful  Konde  tribes.  The  trees 
here  are  larger  and  shadier,  and  the  vegetation  is  more  luxuriant 
than  in  other  parts.  There  are  lovely,  bosky  groves,  and  miles 
upon  miles  of  emerald-green  banana  plantations.  The  Livingstone 
Mountains — so  named  by  Dr  Laws — add  to  the  magnificence  of 
the  scenery  in  this  region.  These  mountains  rise  like  a  jagged 
wall,  from  8,000  to  10,000  feet  above  the  blue  waters  of  the  Lake, 
having  their  ravines  green  with  trees,  and  their  sides  painted  in 
many  colours.  Too  high  up  for  the  ear  to  catch  the  sound,  there 
are  exquisite  waterfalls,  hanging  like  downy  floss  from  places 
almost  inaccessible  to  any  human  being.  Standing,  as  these 
stupendous  mountains  do,  at  the  edge  of  the  dark  watery  depths, 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION  57 

they  have  impressed  many  travellers  with  a  spirit  of  awe,  and  a 
sense  of  their  own  nothingness. 

The  western  watershed  of  the  Lake  is  inhabited  by  a  fierce 
section  of  Ngoni  Zulus,  who  made  their  way  from  South  Africa  in 
the  early  part  of  the  century.  On  this  healthy  table-land  they 
founded  kingdoms,  and  enslaved  the  original  inhabitants.  When 
the  Mission  party  entered  the  country,  these  untamed  warriors, 
like  the  kindred  Gwangwara  on  the  other  side  of  the  Lake,  were 
a  source  of  terror  to  all  around.  The  very  mention  of  their 
name  made  the  native  tribes  shudder,  as  no  one  was  able  to 
withstand  them.  They  were  drilled  like  all  Zulus  to  fight  at  close 
quarters  in  a  merciless  manner,  using  the  assegai  and  spear  instead 
of  the  bow  and  arrow  or  the  trade  musket  of  their  enemies.  They 
spared  very  few  when  they  attacked  a  village,  usually  massacring 
the  men  without  mercy,  enslaving  the  women  and  children,  and 
carrying  off  the  property. 

"The  good  old  rule 
Sufficed  them,  the  simple  plan, 
That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power, 
And  they  should  keep  who  can." 

Between  the  murderous  raids  of  these  Zulu  savages  on  the  west, 
and  the  brutal  attacks  of  the  Yao  slave-dealers  on  the  east,  the 
poor,  defenceless  tribes  around  the  Lake  had  a  terrible  existence. 
Thanks  to  William  Koyi,  Dr  Elmslie,  and  other  Livingstonia 
missionaries,  most  of  these  Zulu  tribes  have  now  been  considerably 
tamed,  and  transformed  by  the  power  of  the  Gospel.  They  have 
become  a  splendid  people — the  backbone  of  British  Central  Africa. 
We  shall  have  something  further  to  say  on  them  and  their  country 
in  a  later  chapter. 

The  whole  west  coast  of  the  Lake  is  exceedingly  beautiful. 
There  are  not  only  many  excellent  bays  and  fine  beaches,  but  at 
some  points  tree-covered  plains  running  back  from  the  shore,  and 
at  others  lovely  grassy  slopes  equal  to  the  finest  parks  at  home,  and 
only  wanting  some  grand  castle  to  complete  the  exquisite  picture. 
Big  game  of  all  kinds,  including  elephants,  buffaloes,  lions,  and 
leopards  may  occasionally  be  seen — although  not  so  numerous  now 
as  when  the  Mission  party  first  went.  There  is  a  rich  variety  of 
beautiful  wild  plants  and  handsome  trees.  Even  the  very  marshes 
are  gorgeous  with  blue  lotus  flowers,  and  with  papyrus  and  plume- 
headed  reeds. 


58  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON1A 

The  Lake  itself  was  discovered  by  Livingstone  in  1859.  Having 
heard  reports  of  a  great  sea,  out  of  which  the  Shire  flowed  to  the 
Zambesi,  he  determined  to  search  for  it.  After  several  unsuccess- 
ful efforts,  in  the  course  of  which  he  discovered  the  brackish  Lake 
Shirwa  to  the  south-east,  he  finally  managed  to  reach  its  southern 
shores,  near  the  site  of  the  modern  village  of  Fort  Johnston,  in 
September  of  that  year,  in  company  with  Sir  John  Kirk — the  first 
white  men  to  look  upon  this  inland  sea.  It  is  the  third  greatest 
lake  in  Africa,  being  360  miles  long,  and  varying  in  breadth  from 
40  miles  to  15.  By  reference  to  the  map,  readers  will  observe 
that  it  somewhat  resembles  a  jack-boot  in  shape — a  feature  which 
was  noticed  by  Dr  Livingstone. 

The  name  "  Nyasa  "  is  a  Yao  word,  so  called  by  Arab  traders 
hearing  of  it  first  from  the  Yao  people ;  but  the  most  common 
appellation  among  the  natives  now  is  "  Nyanja."  These  words,  like 
"  Nyanza "  further  north,  are  derived  from  an  archaic  and  wide- 
spread Bantu  root,  and  mean  nothing  more  than  "  a  broad  water," 
whether  lake  or  river.  Hence  the  name  Nyasa  or  Nyanja  is  not 
confined  by  the  natives  to  this  particular  Lake,  but  is  applied  by 
them  to  the  Zambesi  and  Shire  and  every  other  large  piece  of  water. 
This  has  often  caused  endless  confusion  to  traveller's ;  but  it  is  no 
worse  than  what  occurs  in  other  languages,  not  excluding  our  own. 

Lake  Nyasa  is  a  tempestuous  piece  of  water,  subject  to  extra- 
ordinary gales  and  fearful  seas,  like  similar  lakes  that  are  surrounded 
by  mountains.  During  the  first  voyage  which  the  Ilala  made  to 
the  north  end  of  it,  tremendous  gales  arose  without  the  slightest 
warning.  In  a  very  short  time  the  peaceful  scene  would  sometimes 
change  into  one  of  the  wildest  grandeur — almost  beyond  all  con- 
ception— with  the  waves  running  mountains  high  and  heavy  torrents 
of  rain  accompanied  by  a  whistling  wind  and  gleams  of  lightning 
in  every  quarter.  On  such  occasions,  the  little  vessel  had  to  ride 
it  out  with  two  anchors  down,  while  water  poured  into  her  con- 
tinually. It  required  all  Mr  Young's  nautical  powers  to  prevent 
her  from  foundering,  and  more  than  once  all  hands  stood  ready  to 
jump  overboard  when  the  position  became  critical.  The  fact  is 
that  this  Lake  is  ravaged  at  certain  times  by  the  "  Mwela  "  or  strong 
south-east  wind,  which  generally  continues  for  three  days,  raising 
seas  as  stormy  as  can  be  found  in  the  British  Channel  or  in  the 
Atlantic. 

Cape  Maclear,  on  the  south  of  the  Lake,  where  the  party  landed 


SE1TLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION  59 

and  planted  the  Mission  Station,  is  described  by  Professor  Drum- 
mond  as  "  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  in  the  world."  There  are  giant 
hills,  shelving  down  almost  to  the  shore,  and  luxuriant  with  euphor- 
bia, cactus,  tamarind,  baobab,  palm  trees,  and  other  African  foliage. 
There  are  rich,  wooded  stretches,  with  wild  thicket  fastnesses  here 
and  there,  and  with  a  profusion  of  magnificent  trees  enveloped  in 
endless  labyrinthine  climbers.  For  years  the  place  has  been  a  sort 
of  sportsman's  paradise,  abounding  in  antelopes,  elephants,  guinea- 
fowls,  fish-eagles,  and  other  game.  Hippopotami  and  crocodiles 
are  also  there  in  abundance,  holding  possession  of  every  marshy 
inlet  and  reedy  bay.  Immediately  to  the  north  of  the  Cape  are 
three  fairy  islands,  rising  like  hills  from  the  water,  clad  with  granite 
boulders  of  great  size  and  luxuriously  wooded.  The  Lake,  all 
round  the  promontory,  is  as  blue  as  the  deep  blue  of  some  parts  of 
the  Mediterranean.  It  is  so  clear,  too,  that  the  bottom  is  visible 
in  comparatively  deep  water;  and  Captain  Lugard  tells  us  that 
anyone  looking  down  may  see  "the  many-coloured  fishes  gliding 
about  the  rocks  and  pebbles  like  gold  fish  in  a  glass  globe." 

When  the  little  band  of  missionaries  established  themselves  on 
this  lovely  tree-covered  shore  at  Cape  Maclear,  for  miles  around 
they  met  with  a  cordial  welcome  from  most  of  the  chiefs  and 
people.  The  influential  slave-trading  chief,  Mponda,  who  owned 
the  whole  district,  and  whom  the  party  had  visited  on  their  way 
up,  was  favourable  to  the  undertaking.  The  Arabs  who  frequented 
his  village  endeavoured  to  prejudice  him  against  the  Mission,  and 
prevented  him  at  times  from  rendering  much  active  assistance,  but 
they  never  managed  to  get  him  to  assume  a  hostile  attitude.  One 
chief,  Mpemba,  on  the  south-west  shore  of  the  Lake,  showed  him- 
self rather  adverse  and  disobliging  at  first,  owing  to  the  strong  Arab 
influence  which  had  been  at  work.  When  Mr  Young  and  some  of 
the  Mission  party  visited  his  village  a  few  weeks  after  their  arrival, 
he  was  reported  to  be  from  home,  which  is  generally  the  excuse 
of  an  unfriendly  chief.  They  could  not  obtain  any  provisions, 
and  it  was  evident  that  they  were  not  wanted  there.  When  they 
paid  another  visit  three  months  afterwards,  Mpemba  happened 
to  be  busy  ferrying  slaves  across  the  Lake  en  route  for  the  coast. 
They  hoped  to  purchase  some  goats,  but  were  treated  with  con- 
siderable coolness,  and  received  only  surly  answers  and  scowling 
looks.  Another  slave-dealing  chief,  named  Chitesi,  on  the  east 
shore,  whose  village  they  visited  about  the  same  time,  excused 


60  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

himself  from  appearing  under  the  plea  of  illness.  Dr  Laws  kindly 
offered  to  help  him,  but  all  to  no  purpose :  Chitesi  did  not  intend 
to  show  himself  to  anyone  with  a  white  skin.  This  also  was  due 
to  Arab  influence,  as  there  were  a  number  of  Zanzibar  slavers  in 
the  village,  who  were  aware  of  the  Mission,  and  manifested  unusual 
inquisitiveness  as  to  its  objects. 

The  extreme  cordiality  of  others,  however,  made  up  for  the 
doubtful  conduct  of  such  chiefs.  Everywhere — thanks  to  Living- 
stone— there  was  a  good  name  established  for  the  "  English,"  and 
great  joy  at  their  arrival.  In  fact,  the  people  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  the  Station  were  as  amicably  disposed  as  could 
be  desired,  being  glad  to  see  the  white  men,  to  sell  them  pro- 
visions, and  to  help  them  in  the  settlement  of  the  Mission.  This 
friendly  reception  presents  a  great  contrast  to  what  has  taken  place 
in  many  other  barbarous  regions.  In  the  districts  of  the  Batonga 
and  Manika,  eastward  of  the  Barutse  country,  both  explorers  and 
missionaries  were  repulsed  for  many  years,  being  either  killed, 
maltreated,  or  expelled  by  the  recalcitrant  natives.  Even  the 
Universities'  Mission,  now  re-established  on  the  east  coast  of 
Nyasa,  was  for  many  years  paralysed  by  the  hostility  of  Makanjira, 
the  chief  of  the  district,  who  killed  the  native  catechists  and 
constantly  plundered  the  Mission.  We  cannot  be  too  thankful 
for  the  friendly  welcome  accorded  to  this  first  band  of  Livingstonia 
missionaries. 

Owing  to  these  favourable  circumstances,  Mr  Young  was  enabled 
to  proceed  to  work  with  freedom.  Dwelling-houses,  stores,  work- 
shops, and  other  places  had  to  be  erected  as  quickly  as  possible, 
as  the  rainy  season,  which  begins  in  November,  was  approaching. 
Only  a  few  weeks  more,  and  heavy  torrential  rains  would  begin 
to  fall,  and  would  continue  more  or  less  until  the  end  of  March. 
No  time,  however,  was  lost.  The  site  of  the  village  was  chosen 
upon  a  rising  ground  looking  westward,  with  the  deep  blue  waters 
of  the  great  Lake  in  front,  and  lofty  tree-clad  mountains  of  granite 
behind.  At  first  a  piece  of  canvas  stretched  between  two  trees 
formed  the  only  shelter;  but,  with  the  help  of  the  natives,  the 
ground  was  speedily  cleared,  and  a  row  of  trim  cottages  was 
commenced.  Abundance  of  wood  was  to  be  had  for  the  cutting, 
as  much  of  the  district  was  covered  with  splendid  forest  trees. 
With  almost  everything  ready  to  hand,  capital  progress  was 
made. 


KAZICHI  FALL. 
Showing  Cave  where  the  Natives  formerly  sought  refuge. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION  61 

The  natives,  as  a  rule,  wrought  faithfully  and  cheerfully,  out  of 
respect  for  the  white  men.  As  they  were  worthy  of  their  hire, 
they  received  regular  wages  in  the  shape  of  calico — the  currency 
of  Central  Africa.  Every  night  at  five  they  ceased  work,  and 
gathered  round  the  "paymaster,"  who  made  a  point  of  dealing 
kindly  and  justly  with  them.  "  Ominously  putting  a  small  stick 
up  in  the  fork  of  the  tree  over  his  head,  he  began  by  tearing  off 
lengths  of  calico  eighteen  inches  broad.  This  was  the  wage  for 
the  day's  work.  Here  and  there  someone  less  able  to  shake  off 
bad  habits  than  his  companions  would  raise  a  doubt  as  to  the 
length  of  his  piece  of  cloth ;  if  so,  down  came  the  inevitable 
measuring  stick  from  the  tree,  and  down,  too,  came  a  round  of 
chaff  upon  his  devoted  head  from  the  bystanders,  who  were 
insensibly  establishing  in  their  own  minds  the  impossibility  of 
an  Englishman  cheating  anyone."  *  This  treatment  of  the  natives 
was  a  good  foundation  to  lay,  as  there  is  nothing  the  African 
appreciates  so  much  as  fair  and  straightforward  dealing ;  and  it 
is  but  an  instance  of  the  honourable  way  in  which  these  Living- 
stonia  pioneers  acted  in  all  their  transactions  with  the  natives. 
They  never  stooped  to  acts  of  meanness  or  faithlessness  or 
injustice,  as  some  Europeans  in  Nyasaland — not  missionaries — 
have  been  known  to  do.  It  has  not  been  uncommon  for  traders 
of  an  aggressively  ungodly  type  to  be  dishonest  and  openly  wicked 
in  their  relations  with  these  poor,  ignorant  people,  to  the  degrada- 
tion of  the  white  man's  name,  and  the  destruction  in  great  measure 
of  the  natives'  trust  in  him.  But  let  it  be  recorded,  to  the  shame 
of  all  such  unprincipled  individuals,  that  the  first  white  settlers 
on  the  shores  of  Nyasa  strove  to  be  just  and  upright  in  all  their 
dealings. 

After  much  steady,  persevering  work,  the  cottages,  a  dozen  in 
number,  were  completed,  and  a  neat  path,  covered  with  shells  and 
white  gravel,  was  made  to  them  from  the  beach.  The  plan  of  the 
village  formed  three  sides  of  a  square  220  paces  long,  the  fourth 
side  being  the  beach.  As  readers  may  imagine,  the  houses  were 
not  of  the  best — better,  no  doubt,  than  the  poor  untaught  Africans 
could  produce,  but  not  to  be  compared  with  any  respectable  houses 
at  home.  They  had  no  carpeted  rooms,  cushioned  chairs,  curtained 
windows,  or  similar  comforts.  The  only  benefit  some  of  them  had 
was  their  size.  One  was  fifty  feet  long  by  twenty-five,  built  on  the 
*  "  Mission  to  Nyasa,"  p.  85. 


62  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

model  of  an  Indian  bungalow,  with  a  verandah  all  round.  It  was 
cool  and  airy,  having  four  doors  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  windows. 
Another,  devised  by  Dr  Laws,  was  a  two-storey  erection — a  "  two- 
decker,"  as  Mr  Young  called  it — with  a  verandah  on  the  upper 
storey  as  well.  All  of  them  were  framed  with  wood,  lined  with 
reeds  or  wattle,  and  then  daubed  over,  both  inside  and  outside, 
with  clay.  The  windows  were  mere  openings  without  glass,  and 
were  closed  at  night  against  the  winds  by  grass  shutters  placed  on 
the  outside. 

Visits  were  occasionally  made  to  neighbouring  chiefs  in  order 
to  acquaint  them  with  the  object  of  the  Mission  and  to  secure 
their  influence  on  its  behalf.  Friendly  intercourse  was  especially 
kept  up  with  Mponda,  the  owner  of  the  Mission  territory,  who 
had  to  be  humoured  a  good  deal  in  order  to  make  up  for 
Arab  intrigues.  On  one  occasion  this  drouthy  chief  had  taken 
ill,  owing  to  continued  over-indulgence  in  native  beer,  and  had 
received  a  large  bottle  of  medicine  from  the  Mission.  On  being 
visited  shortly  afterwards  by  Dr  Laws,  he  was  sitting  under  the 
verandah  of  his  large  house,  surrounded  by  a  host  of  his  wives, 
courtiers,  and  visitors,  but  did  not  appear  to  have  improved 
in  health.  On  being  asked  how  he  had  taken  the  mixture,  it 
was  discovered  that  instead  of  taking  one  spoonful  twice  a  day, 
as  instructed,  he  had  consumed  all  the  contents  in  three  draughts ! 

Naturally,  the  slave  trade  engaged  a  good  deal  of  attention, 
as  it  was  manifest  on  all  sides.  Every  now  and  then  the 
Mission  party  would  hear  of  some  peaceful  industrious  village 
being  surprised  and  burned,  the  inhabitants  seized,  loaded  with 
slave-forks  and  heavy  burdens,  and  then  goaded  over  hundreds 
of  miles  in  a  fainting  condition — some,  it  might  be,  to  drop 
from  exhaustion,  and  to  be  flung  into  the  jungle  to  die  of 
starvation  or  be  devoured  by  hyenas.  The  whole  country 
from  the  Zambesi  to  the  Tanganyika  was  in  a  state  of  unrest 
owing  to  this  constant  hunting  of  man  by  man.  The  people 
lived  in  continual  dread  of  being  attacked,  and  having  their 
homes  broken  up  and  their  wives  and  children  sold.  The  most 
of  them  led  a  hand-to-mouth  existence,  just  growing  enough 
food  for  the  support  of  themselves,  and  not  daring  to  venture 
too  far  from  home  without  good  protection.  It  fairly  makes 
one's  heart  sick  to  read  of  the  sufferings  endured  by  the  poor 
natives  in  these  early  days  of  terror.  The  letters  of  the 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION  63 

missionaries  fully  corroborate  the  horrible  accounts  given  by 
Dr  Livingstone. 

The  Ilala  was  an  immense  help  in  checking  this  atrocious 
traffic — on  the  Lake  at  least.  With  the  British  flag  at  her 
mast-head  she  was  regarded  by  the  Arabs  as  a  sort  of  Government 
cutter,  armed  with  one  or  more  heavy  guns.  This  false  impres- 
sion wore  off  afterwards,  but  for  some  time  she  was  a  terror  to 
the  Arabs  and  their  associates.  During  the  first  voyage  which 
Mr  Young  made  on  the  Lake,  he  came  across  a  slave  dau  or 
Arab  sailing  vessel.  As  soon  as  the  master  saw  the  Ilala's 
flag,  he  lowered  his  sail,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Mr  Young  had 
steamed  alongside.  The  missionaries  had  received  instructions 
to  the  effect  that  on  no  account  were  they  to  bring  about 
hostilities.  But  what  if  the  vessel  should  prove  full  of  wretched 
slaves — chained,  starving,  and  brutally  treated  ?  Were  they  to  be 
left  to  their  doom  ?  Fortunately,  there  were  none  on  board ;  but 
in  conversation  with  the  crew,  Mr  Young  learned  that  a  living 
cargo  had  been  taken  across  not  long  before.  He  deemed  it 
expedient  to  let  the  master  know  that  the  slave-trade  was  a 
matter  repugnant  to  the  Mission  and  to  civilised  nations,  and 
that  sooner  or  later  it  would  be  the  worse  for  those  engaged 
in  it.  So,  wherever  the  little  steamer  went,  from  one  end  of  the 
Lake  to  the  other,  she  proved  a  check  to  the  iniquitous  trade. 

Scarcely  a  day  passed  without  its  record  of  slaving  horrors,  and 
of  efforts  made  to  lessen  them.  One  day  the  chiefs  of  some 
villages  adjoining  the  Station,  regardless  of  consequences,  actually 
seized  a  large  number  of  people,  among  whom  were  some  young 
men  who  had  been  at  work  on  the  Mission  Station  and  whose 
names  were  on  the  books.  The  slave-sticks  were  put  on  their 
necks,  and  they  were  marched  off  to  the  sea  coast.  It  is  horrible 
to  think  of  such  events  occurring,  one  might  say,  under  the  very 
eyes  of  the  missionaries.  "It  is  all  very  well,"  wrote  Dr  Laws, 
"for  you  people  at  home  to  read  about  slavery,  and  shrug  your 
shoulders  at  the  tale  of  misery  and  suffering,  and  at  the  same  time 
tell  us  we  missionaries  must  not  interfere  with  the  slave-trade  in 
any  active  way.  I  grant  at  once  that  what  you  say  is  true,  and 
that  my  work  is  not  to  put  down  the  slave-trade  by  the  sword ; 
yet  I  honestly  confess  I  never  felt  my  blood  boil  as  it  did  to-day, 
when  I  heard  of  this  capture,  and  it  would  not  have  taken  a  great 
amount  of  persuasion  to  make  me  shoulder  my  rifle  for  the  defence 


64  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

of  these  poor  creatures.  As  for  Mr  Young,  he  felt,  I  suppose, 
like  a  caged  lion,  and  for  the  thousandth  time  wished  he  had 
Government  powers,  that  he  might  put  an  end  to  this  horrid  traffic 
in  human  flesh  and  blood." 

The  Arab  slave-dealers,  of  course,  began  to  use  all  their  in- 
fluence against  the  Mission.  They  saw  that  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  carry  on  their  nefarious  traffic  with  the  same  freedom 
as  before.  For  aught  they  knew,  they  might  be  seized  themselves, 
and  have  to  suffer  for  their  misdeeds.  If  Livingstone  occasionally 
chained  the  slave-dealers  to  the  ship's  cable,  or  pinned  them  into 
their  own  slave-forks  till  they  had  had  time  to  reflect  over  their 
cruelty,  what  might  not  these  eight  missionaries  do  ?  How  could 
the  surrounding  villages  be  harried,  and  women  and  children 
captured,  so  long  as  this  Mission  existed  ?  How  could  the  system 
go  on,  when  one  of  the  avowed  objects  of  these  white  men  was 
to  probe  it  to  the  bottom  ?  With  thoughts  like  these,  the  Arab 
slavers  and  their  native  allies  used  their  powers,  whenever  possible, 
to  cripple  the  Mission,  and  even  talked  occasionally  of  attacking 
it  by  force  of  arms.  On  one  occasion  they  sent  six  men  to  the 
Station,  ostensibly  to  offer  themselves  as  labourers,  but  in  reality 
to  act  as  spies,  so  that  full  information  might  be  obtained  as  to 
the  Mission's  actions  and  defensive  powers.  On  Mr  Young's 
suspicions  being  confirmed,  he  boldly  denounced  them,  when  they 
left  quicker  than  they  arrived.  The  Arabs,  in  fact,  were  so 
incensed  at  this  settlement  of  white  missionaries  that  there  was  no 
saying  when  an  attack  might  be  made  on  the  Station.  In  bygone 
days  the  Universities'  Mission  was  repeatedly  threatened  by  slave- 
dealing  ruffians,  until  a  precipitate  retreat  had  to  be  made  from 
Magomero  to  Chibisa's.  Mr  Young,  however,  determined  to  be 
prepared  beforehand  for  any  such  contingencies.  He  erected  a 
thick,  round  fort  at  the  back  of  the  Station.  It  was  only  a  small 
log  one,  but  it  commanded  the  whole  land  side  of  the  place,  so 
that  any  attacking  party  could  be  quickly  scattered.  Readers  will 
be  glad  to  know  that  it  was  never  needed,  as  the  missionaries  were 
always  able,  by  conciliation  and  prudent  action,  to  prevent  any 
hostilities — at  least  until  the  Arab  war  of  1887  which  was  con- 
centrated further  north. 

But  there  were  other  enemies  than  Arab  slave-dealers  to  be 
endured.  Jackals,  hyenas,  lions,  and  other  wild  animals  might  be 
heard  screaming  and  roaring  at  night.  They  would  occasionally 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION  65 

prowl  round  the  houses  in  the  darkness,  anxious  for  a  taste  of  the 
goats  and  fowls,  or  if  possible  of  the  white  man's  flesh  !  It  could 
not  be  altogether  pleasant  for  the  missionaries  to  fall  asleep  at 
nights,  knowing  as  they  did  that  a  lion  might  coolly  look  in  at  the 
windows  or  sit  impatiently  in  the  verandah  !  They  were  cowardly 
animals,  however,  and  did  not  usually  appear  in  the  daytime. 
But  precautions  had  to  be  taken  against  snakes,  rats,  and  vermin 
of  all  description,  which  are  only  too  fond  of  invading  huts  and 
houses,  both  by  day  and  night,  and  make  no  exception  in  the 
case  of  mission  premises.  Snakes,  especially,  are  apt  to  become 
a  plague,  concealing  themselves  under  boxes,  or  reposing  beneath 
the  blankets,  or  lying  coiled  among  the  rafters.  Several  were 
killed  in  the  houses  on  the  Mission  Station,  or  when  making  their 
way  in  at  the  door.  As  a  precaution  against  such  plagues, 
Mr  Young  had  all  the  brushwood,  trees,  and  grass  cleared  away 
from  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  Station.  This  helped 
to  keep  cobras,  vipers,  and  all  snakes  at  a  respectable  distance, 
and  thus  preserve  some  comfort  in  the  houses. 

The  place,  we  need  hardly  say,  gradually  assumed  a  more 
civilised  and  homely  appearance.  Natives  ventured  from  a 
distance  with  provisions  and  goods  for  sale,  receiving  during  their 
sojourn  a  clear  explanation  of  the  objects  of  the  Mission,  and  a 
few  kind  words  of  help  and  counsel.  Many  also  began  to  settle 
down  around  the  Station,  being  anxious  to  receive  work  or  in- 
struction from  the  white  men,  and  to  obtain  their  protection 
against  Ngoni  and  Arab  raiders.  Having  spent  all  their  days  in 
a  semi-barbarous  state,  some  of  these  natives  were  not  of  the 
most  peaceful  disposition,  being  apt  to  quarrel  among  themselves, 
especially  when  working.  Almost  every  day  there  were  con- 
tentions of  some  kind  to  settle;  but  the  missionaries  managed, 
by  firmness  and  forbearance  combined,  to  preserve  remarkable 
order  among  them.  Nowadays,  with  an  excellent  British  Adminis- 
tration, disputes  or  offences  are  treated  by  native  chiefs  authorised 
to  hold  Courts  of  Justice,  or  by  magistrates  resident  in  each 
district.  In  these  early  days,  however,  when  no  proper  civil  juris- 
diction existed,  the  missionaries  had  often,  however  unwillingly, 
to  decide  the  disputes  of  the  people  or  advise  them  in  civil 
matters ;  and  it  is  to  the  lasting  credit  of  our  Livingstonia 
missionaries — whatever  may  have  been  said  of  others — that  for 
fourteen  years,  until  the  appointment  of  a  Commissioner,  they 


66  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

succeeded  in  performing  this  difficult  duty  without  exercising 
undue  authoritative  powers,  or  leaving  their  own  legitimate  sphere 
as  ambassadors  of  Christ. 

Mr  Young,  with  his  sea-faring  experience,  considered  it  necessary 
to  have  the  Ilala  drawn  out  of  the  water  with  a  view  to  repairs 
and  painting.  For  this  purpose  he  undertook  a  very  heavy  piece  of 
work.  He  set  himself  to  construct  a  slip,  on  which  the  little  vessel 
might  be  hauled  up  high  and  dry.  He  made  it  fifty  yards  long,  of 
hard  wood  carefully  laid,  and  he  built  a  carriage  to  pass  up  it  on 
huge  rollers.  This  was  an  extraordinary  novelty  to  the  natives,  re- 
minding us  somewhat  of  the  sinking  of  Dr  Paton's  well.  They  had 
never,  of  course,  seen  or  heard  of  such  a  thing  before ;  and  during 
the  undertaking  they  would  occasionally  have  a  conference  together, 
and  conclude  that  the  white  men  had  gone  out  of  their  minds. 
The  "  hauling-up  day  "  was  looked  forward  to  with  great  curiosity. 
"The  natives,"  says  Mr  Young,  "assembled  from  all  parts,  for 
they  heard  that  the  Ilala  was  to  come  up  out  of  the  water,  and  then 
all  could  look  at  her  like  a  huge  stranded  fish.  To  ourselves  it 
was  a  moment  of  some  anxiety,  for  with  slips,  even  in  the  most 
civilised  lands,  accidents  will  happen,  and  the  best  regulations  of 
professional  engineers  do  not  at  times  prevail  to  avert  mishaps, 
such  as  sticks,  wrenches,  sinking  of  ways,  and  even  capsizes.  But 
we  were  spared  all  these  disappointments;  and  we  had  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  our  beautiful  little  vessel  safely  hauled  up  on  the  slip 
without  a  hitch  or  strain."*  Strange  to  say,  there  was  no  sign  what- 
ever of  rust  on  her,  although  she  had  been  so  long  in  the  water. 

We  must  not  forget  that  one  member  of  the  Mission  party 
belonged  to  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland,  and  had  been 
commissioned  to  obtain  a  site  somewhere  near  the  Lake  for  a 
mission  station  to  be  planted  by  that  Church.  This  missionary, 
Mr  Henry  Henderson,  remained  for  several  months  at  the  Living- 
stonia  Station,  where  all  ecclesiastical  differences  were  forgotten 
in  the  one  supreme  desire  to  teach  the  people  Christianity.  After 
some  time  he  commenced  his  search  for  a  suitable  spot.  At  first 
he  thought  of  a  place  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Lake,  near  to  the 
point  where  Livingstone  arrived  after  his  journey  up  the  Rovuma 
River.  Later  on  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  district  of  Rama- 
kukane,  the  Makololo  chief  at  the  foot  of  the  Cataracts — a  posi- 
tion certainly  of  great  importance,  being  at  the  head  of  the  river 
*  "Mission  to  Nyasa,"  p.  151. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION  67 

navigation.  Ultimately,  however,  he  discovered  a  much  healthier 
district  in  the  Shire"  Highlands,  near  to  Magomero,  where  the 
Universities'  Mission  was  settled  for  some  time.  But  when  the 
Established  Church  party  arrived  in  1876  to  commence  work, 
they  were  so  worn-out  with  sickness  and  suffering  that  they  were 
unable  to  proceed  as  far  as  was  intended.  On  arriving  at  a 
clump  of  huts,  about  thirty  miles  from  the  Shire  river,  they 
preferred  to  remain  here,  and  named  the  spot  Blantyre  after 
Livingstone's  birthplace.  Though  chosen,  it  may  be  said,  almost 
by  accident,  it  is  a  place  which  has  for  many  months  in  the  year  a 
glorious  blue  sky,  floods  of  sunshine,  a  cool,  fresh  atmosphere, 
and  a  temperature  no  hotter  than  a  mild  summer's  day  at  home. 
Since  those  days  it  has  become  transformed  into  a  little  town, 
with  clean  red  roads,  neat  brick  houses,  a  magnificent  church, 
and  other  signs  of  civilisation.  It  is  one  of  the  chief  focuses  of 
European  interests  to  the  south  of  the  Lake,  as  well  as  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Established  Church  Mission. 

Few  would  care  to  be  eleven  months  in  a  strange  land  without 
knowing  what  had  taken  place  at  home  during  that  long  time ;  yet 
this  was  the  experience  of  these  Livingstonia  missionaries,  and  we 
are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  it  had  rather  a  depressing  effect  on 
them.  Either  through  mismanagement  at  Kilimane,  or  unusual 
delay  on  the  river,  the  mails  were  not  forwarded  as  they  should 
have  been.  At  last,  at  the  end  of  July,  1876,  after  much  dis- 
appointment, Dr  Laws  set  out  for  Kilimane,  in  the  hope  of 
finding  the  mail  there.  He  had  not  long  gone  when  bearers 
arrived  with  a  vast  number  of  letters,  which  had  accumulated  for 
about  ten  months.  The  receipt  of  these  removed  a  heavy  weight 
off  the  minds  of  the  missionaries.  They  spent  several  hours 
devouring  the  good  news  thus  brought  to  them.  Since  these 
early  days  matters  have  wonderfully  changed.  The  slow  and 
irregular  postal  service  of  Mr  Young's  time  developed  in  a  few 
years  into  a  more  reliable  system.  Letters  were  carried  by  the 
African  Lakes'  Company  to  Kilimane,  along  with  the  cost  of 
postage  stamps,  and  the  British  Consul  there  at  once  despatched 
them  through  the  Portuguese  Post  Office.  But  in  1891  a  regular 
postal  service  was  established  by  the  British  South  Africa  Company, 
with  several  post  offices  around  Lake  Nyasa  and  an  office  of  ex- 
change at  Chinde.  Letters  and  parcels  are  now  sent  off  regularly 
from  this  port  at  the  Zambesi  mouth,  not  only  to  Nyasa,  but  to 


68  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

Tanganyika,  Mweru,  and  even  the  Congo  Free  State.  It  is 
certainly  a  marvellous  change  to  the  days  when  these  Livingstonia 
pioneers  had  to  exist  month  after  month,  with  hopes  deferred, 
until  it  seemed  as  if  the  world  had  forgotten  them.  If  European 
settlers  around  Blantyre,  with  their  heaps  of  newspapers  and 
magazines,  their  lending  library,  and  their  fortnightly  delivery  of 
mails,  should  ever  be  tempted  to  complain  of  their  want  of  com- 
munication with  the  outer  world,  let  them  remember  the  disap- 
pointments, the  weary  waiting,  and  the  comfortless  circumstances 
of  the  first  Livingstonia  missionaries. 

So  far,  we  have  said  nothing  about  direct  missionary  work,  as 
little  of  it  could  be  engaged  in  at  first,  on  account  of  so  many 
other  important  matters  claiming  attention.  In  addition  to  what 
has  already  been  mentioned,  an  influence  had  to  be  gained  in  the 
district,  the  confidence  of  the  natives  strengthened,  the  surrounding 
regions  examined,  communication  with  Kilimane  and  the  outside 
world  established,  and  a  multitude  of  other  things  done.  But  in 
spite  of  all  these  pressing  matters,  the  primary  object  of  the 
Mission  was  not  forgotten.  Whenever  opportunity  offered, 
Biblical  and  other  truths  were  communicated  to  the  people  by 
means  of  an  interpreter.  In  this  work  Dr  Laws  soon  proved 
himself  of  much  service.  He  managed  to  convey  a  good  deal 
of  instruction  by  exhibiting  large  pictures.  Natives  ventured  to 
the  settlement  from  all  parts,  anxious  to  gaze  on  these  beautiful 
representations  of  Bible  subjects  and  other  scenes.  Some  of  them 
had  a  little  difficulty  at  first  in  seeing  any  definite  object  on  the 
sheet,  but  by  and  by  their  eyes  took  in  the  details  of  the  scene, 
and  as  figure  after  figure  was  exhibited,  they  would  heave  a  sigh, 
and  express  their  unbounded  astonishment.  In  this  simple  and 
popular  way  the  missionaries  were  able  to  explain  the  Gospel  story 
to  these  untaught  Africans.  The  following  extracts  from  a  letter 
by  Dr  Laws  will  give  readers  some  idea  of  this  elementary  work: — 

' '  February  1 3  //&,  1876. 

"Evening. — My  duties  for  the  day  are  over,  and  I  feel  light- 
hearted  now,  for  I  have  enjoyed  very  much  a  meeting  with  about 
twenty  negroes  or  more,  squatting  round  me  on  the  ground,  and 
looking  at  the  pictures  in  the  book  on  my  knee,  while  Sam,  my 
interpreter,  sits  beside  me;  for  I  cannot  yet  speak  the  language 
or  languages.  But  with  the  aid  of  Sam,  whom  I  believe  to  be 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  MISSION  69 

a  Christian  boy,  I  speak  to  them  about  the  beasts,  then  about  their 
Maker,  and  then  our  relationship  to  Him.  They  have  some  idea 
of  God,  whom  they  call  Mulungu ;  but  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  this  is 
the  sum  and  substance  of  their  theology.  Hence  they  sit  and  stare 
with  open  mouths,  while  they  are  taught  anything  regarding  Him. 

"Would  you  like  me  to  describe  my  congregation?  Well,  to 
begin  with  our  church  or  boys'  hut :  It  is  low,  about  twelve  feet 
square,  having  walls  of  straw,  with  strips  of  wood  to  keep  it  in  its 
place,  and  with  here  and  there  an  opening  through  which  a  fowl 
can  force  its  way.  In  three  of  the  corners  something  like  bedsteads 
of  branches  of  trees  and  rushes  are  laid.  On  one  of  these  Sam 
is  seated,  while  some  of  the  negroes  sit  on  the  others.  The  rest 
squat  on  the  floor  on  their  haunches,  or  cross-legs  like  a  tailor. 
Some  old  men  are  present  with  grey  wool  on  their  heads.  Most 
are  tatooed  in  some  form  or  other — the  fishermen  with  three  scars 
down  each  cheek,  the  others  on  the  face,  arms,  and  breasts,  in  the 
utmost  diversity  of  manner. 

"Such  then  is  my  congregation.  The  pictures  call  attention, 
and  from  time  to  time,  as  we  go  over  them,  some  reference  is 
made  to  Mulungu.  The  series  finishes  up  with  the  lion,  and 
being  all  attention  then,  my  sermon  is  preached  to  the  consciences 
of  these  people,  with  the  earnest  prayer  that  some  of  the  truths 
may  be  as  seed  cast  into  the  ground,  which  may  yet  produce  an 
abundant  harvest." 

One  of  the  first  missionary  exercises,  of  course,  was  the  creation 
of  the  Christian  Sabbath  in  the  district — the  drawing  out  of  one 
day  from  the  heathen  confusion  and  the  exactions  of  toil,  and  the 
redeeming  of  it  to  a  life  of  rest  and  peace.  Never,  in  all  the  ages 
past,  had  such  an  institution  been  known  in  these  dark  and  remote 
regions.  The  often  quoted  verse  of  Cowper  applies  with  singular 
force — 

"  The  sound  of  the  church-going  bell, 

These  valleys  and  rocks  never  heard, 
Ne'er  sighed  at  the  sound  of  a  knell, 
Or  smiled  when  a  Sabbath  appeared." 

Wherever  the  Gospel  goes,  however,  it  creates  a  Sabbath,  whether 
in  the  wild  wilderness,  or  among  the  forests  of  Madagascar,  or 
on  the  lonely  tempestuous  sea,  or  in  the  depths  of  the  African 
Continent.  "This  is  the  Day  the  Lord  hath  made,"  said  the 


7&  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTON1A 

missionaries,  "we  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  it."  The  natives 
were  taught  that  other  days  might  be  days  of  the  body,  days  of 
work,  but  this  was  to  be  a  day  of  the  heart  and  of  the  mind,  when 
they  could  meet  together  to  listen  to  the  message  of  Heaven,  and 
enter  into  a  happier,  freer,  purer  life.  Every  Sabbath  special 
services  were  held — the  attendance  rising  to  about  ninety  in  little 
more  than  a  year.  The  only  bell  as  yet  was  an  axle  hung  up  on 
a  tree,  but  whenever  this  was  struck  as  a  signal,  the  natives 
gathered  to  hear  what  the  missionaries  had  to  say. 

The  Mission  party  were  not  slow  in  such  direct  missionary 
work;  but  they  realised  that  the  best  way  in  which  they  could 
preach  the  Gospel,  for  some  time  at  least,  was  by  their  kindly 
and  consistent  lives.  A  Christlike  life  is  a  living,  walking  Bible, 
an  "  epistle,  known  and  read  of  all  men."  Without  it,  words, 
remonstrances,  pleas  are  of  little  avail ;  with  it,  such  things  are 
not  always  necessary.  In  the  commencement  of  this  Mission 
among  these  degraded  tribes,  one  of  the  best  ways  of  proclaiming 
Christ  was  not  by  words,  but  works — not  by  attractive  speeches, 
but  by  kind  acts.  Nothing  that  the  missionaries  could  say  would 
ever  make  such  an  impression  as  what  they  did  and  were.  They 
knew  this  and  acted  accordingly. 

The  summary  of  practical  work  which  the  writer  has  given  in 
this  chapter — brief  and  incomplete  though  it  necessarily  is — will 
afford  some  idea  of  the  good  accomplished  during  the  first  few 
months  of  the  Mission's  existence.  "  If  any  of  the  good  people 
of  Scotland,"  wrote  Mr  Young,  "  wish  to  know  what  we  have  been 
doing,  please  tell  them  we  have  not  been  idle.  We  have,  I  firmly 
believe,  established  a  good  name,  brought  peace  and  safety  to 
many  a  village,  been  the  means  indirectly  of  saving  hundreds  from 
slavery,  stopped  a  war  between  the  Yao  and  Makololo,  and  have 
tried  to  convince  many  that  there  is  something  to  live  for  beyond 
this  world."  A  noble  record,  certainly,  and  one  which  deserved 
the  thanks  of  Christendom  ! 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  NATIVES 

IN  order  to  complete  the  account  of  the  settlement  of  the  Mission, 
it  may  be  advantageous  to  make  a  few  observations  on  the  habits 
and  character  of  the  natives. 

All  the  inhabitants  of  British  Central  Africa  belong  to  the 
Bantu  race,  which  is  supposed  to  have  driven  out  or  absorbed  the 
antecedent  Bushman  population  about  one  thousand  years  ago,  and 
which  now  extends  over  the  greater  part  of  Africa,  from  about  the 
Equator  as  far  south  as  Port  Elizabeth.  They  are  divided  into 
many  tribes,  with  chiefs  and  headmen,  and  they  all  differ  to  some 
extent  in  language,  habits,  and  religious  ideas. 

Those  to  the  south  of  the  Lake,  where  the  Mission  was  placed, 
belong  in  the  main,  like  the  inhabitants  of  the  Zambesi  and  Shire" 
valleys,  to  the  Nyanja  stock,  which  is  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant of  all.  They  were  once  numerous  and  powerful,  but  being 
of  a  singularly  docile  and  timid  disposition,  they  became  victims 
of  their  predatory  neighbours.  The  early  Portuguese  on  the 
Zambesi  harried  them  pitilessly;  and  in  the  end — before  the 
middle  of  the  century — their  independence  was  completely  broken 
up  by  hordes  of  Zulu  invaders  from  the  south,  and  by  Arab  and 
Yao  ruffians.  They  were  specially  crushed  by  the  Yao  slave 
chiefs,  who  made  a  conquest  of  their  land  straight  away.  Many 
of  them  were  sold  into  slavery,  and  others  took  refuge  for  years 
in  high  mountains  or  among  the  reeds  of  the  Shire".  When  the 
Mission  arrived  in  the  country,  the  remnant  were  being  cared  for, 
in  a  measure,  by  the  friendly  Makololo,  or  were  living  under  the 
domination  of  the  Yao  and  other  powerful  and  warlike  tribes. 

All  the  tribes  near  the  Lake,  including  the  Nyanja,  live  as  a 
rule  in  large  villages,  having  hundreds  or  thousands  of  inhabitants ; 
while  the  hill  tribes,  such  as  the  fierce  Ngoni  to  the  west  of  the 
Lake,  live  in  small  hamlets  thickly  scattered.  The  houses  or  huts 
are  circular,  resembling  an  immense  beehive  in  shape,  with  walls 


72  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

of  "  wattle  and  daub  "  and  a  verandah  all  round.  Adjoining  each 
hut,  there  is  generally  a  reed  enclosure,  which  communicates  with 
the  verandah,  and  in  which  the  women  do  almost  all  their  cooking. 
It  is  very  dark  inside  the  huts,  as  there  are  no  windows,  and  the 
projecting  eaves  of  the  roof  prevent  the  light  from  entering  the 
low  door.  There  are  no  fenders,  or  tables,  or  chairs,  or  such-like 
furniture.  A  wood  fire  is  kept  burning  continually  inside;  and 
as  there  are  no  chimneys  or  holes  in  the  roof,  the  smoke  curls 
about  inside,  giving  the  rafters  a  dark,  shiny  appearance,  and 
making  the  atmosphere  more  disagreeable  than  a  Glasgow  fog. 
The  huts  are  not  planted  in  rows  or  in  any  particular  relation  to 
each  other,  but  are  put  down  without  any  semblance  of  regularity, 
and  with  abundance  of  room  between  them.  About  the  middle 
of  the  village  there  is  usually  a  large  open  space,  where  public 
meetings  and  dances  take  place,  and  where  judicial  cases  are  tried 
by  the  chief  or  headmen.  Here  and  there  among  the  huts  are 
storehouses  for  grain,  which  are  large  round  erections,  supported 
on  short  legs,  so  that  rats  cannot  reach  them  without  difficulty. 
In  all  parts  of  the  village  there  are  hens  and  broods  of  chickens. 
Small  plump,  intelligent-looking  goats,  of  different  colours — the 
friendly,  complaisant  companions  of  the  natives — may  be  observed 
sheltering  themselves  under  the  verandahs  from  the  burning  heat, 
while  a  few  native  dogs  lie  snarling  or  sleeping  beside  them. 
Little  chocolate-coloured  children  play  round  the  huts  with  perfect 
freedom,  having  no  clothes  to  soil  or  windows  to  break  or  flower- 
beds to  destroy  !  Or  they  make  clay  images  to  be  baked  in  the 
sunshine,  or  throw  wooden  spears  and  shoot  with  tiny  bows  and 
arrows.  The  men,  who  never  enter  the  huts  except  to  sleep  or  to 
obtain  shelter  in  bad  weather,  may  be  seen  eating  their  meals 
outside,  or  sitting  on  the  door-mat  sewing  their  own  or  their  wives' 
clothes.  They  have  no  struggle  for  existence,  having  few  wants 
and  no  ambition — and  consequently  they  have  about  them  an 
easy,  careless  appearance.  Not  far  from  the  village  there  are 
gardens,  or  banana  groves,  with  a  few  little  boys  to  scare  away 
the  baboons ;  and  beyond  the  gardens  there  are  clumps  of  black 
green  forest ;  while  overhead  the  sky  is  generally  pure  cobalt,  with 
white  cumulus  clouds  moving  slowly  across  it. 

Family  life  is  quite  different  from  anything  F---onpan.  Marriage 
is  generally  by  purchase,  and  the  arrangement  are  often  made 
years  beforehand.  The  price  paid  varies  according  to  tribal 


NATIVE  POULTRY  HOUSE. 


THE  NATIVES  73 

customs :  it  may  be  as  small  as  a  few  yards  of  cloth  or  some 
dressed  skins,  or  as  high  as  several  cows,  or  a  quantity  of  valuable 
trade  goods,  in  the  case  of  a  chiefs  daughter.  Sometimes 
marriage  is  by  capture — this  being  one  of  the  motives  leading  to 
wars  and  slave-raiding.  But  whatever  method  is  adopted,  the 
native's  desire  is  to  obtain  as  many  wives  as  possible,  as  the 
man  who  has  the  largest  number  is  the  wealthiest  and  most 
influential  in  the  native  estimation.  Hence  polygamy  is  every- 
where prevalent.  Many  have  two,  four,  or  six  wives,  while  some 
chiefs  have  fifty  or  more.  When  the  Mission  party  arrived, 
Mponda  gave  one  hundred  as  the  number  of  his  wives. 

With  regard  to  appearance,  the  natives  are  certainly  very 
degraded — not  so  much  now  perhaps  as  when  the  Mission  party 
arrived  among  them.  At  that  time  many  of  them  round  the  Lake 
presented  a  horrible  spectacle.  Some  had  their  heads  smeared 
with  red  clay  and  grease,  which  ran  down  their  necks  and  bodies, 
increasing  the  disagreeable  odour  which  they  naturally  possessed. 
Some  had  their  ears  bored  and  the  holes  expanded  till  pieces  of 
wood  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  cotton-reel  could  readily  be  in- 
serted. Some — especially  Yao  women — had  a  small  piece  of  ivory 
or  metal  thrust  through  the  left  wing  of  the  nose.  Many  had  a 
more  startling  deformity  still  in  the  shape  of  a  huge  ring,  called 
the  Pelele,  in  the  upper  lip — a  custom  found  in  other  and  distant 
parts  of  the  African  Continent.  The  women  especially  were  fond 
of  this ;  and  not  a  few  preferred  it  over  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  a 
smaller  one  in  the  lower  lip  also.  Nothing  could  really  be  more 
ugly  according  to  the  universal  testimony  of  the  missionaries,  as  it 
made  the  lip  project  until  it  seemed  like  a  duck's  bill,  and  nothing, 
we  should  imagine,  could  be  more  inconvenient  in  eating  and 
drinking ;  yet  it  was  a  very  prevalent  fashion  in  those  early 
times,  especially  among  the  Nyanja.  Tattooing — with  charcoal,  or 
some  other  irritating  substance — was  also  very  common  in  many  of 
the  tribes,  although  not  on  the  same  scale  as  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Pacific.  It  was  used  by  both  sexes  for  tribal  marking  as  well 
as  ornament,  and  generally  took  the  form  of  bluish  cicatrices 
arranged  in  various  patterns.  The  Nyanja  people  tattooed  their 
forehead,  and  the  Yao  their  temples  also.  Some  people  raised  bits 
of  skin,  and  left  them  attached  by  one  corner,  so  that  on  healing 
an  appearance  was  produced  as  if  a  number  of  beans  had  been 
glued  on  their  faces.  At  the  extreme  north  of  the  Lake  some  of 


74  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONU 

the  people  were  hardly  recognisable  as  human  beings.  The  men 
there  usually  had  their  heads  shaved,  and  their  crowns  bedaubed 
with  red  pigment — their  faces,  arms,  and  legs  sometimes  sharing  in 
the  adornment.  Others  used  a  yellow  paint;  while  the  women 
and  a  few  men  had  their  heads,  breasts,  and  arms  white-washed, 
and  in  this  condition  presented  a  hideous  picture. 

All  of  them,  of  course,  from  one  end  of  the  Lake  to  the  other, 
had  little  or  no  dress.  A  few  of  them  used  skins  or  dresses  made 
of  straw,  and  some  had  cloth  which  they  made  out  of  bark  by  first 
softening  it  in  water,  and  then  beating  it  out  with  an  ebony  hammer  • 
but  most  of  them  wore  practically  nothing.  Even  when  they 
could  procure  cloth,  half  a  yard  was  full  dress  for  a  man,  and  a 
little  more  for  a  woman.  The  Ngoni  had  a  peculiar  dress  all  their 
own,  and  they  also  wore  necklaces  of  black  seeds  or  shells  or 
animals'  teeth  as  charms  to  preserve  them  from  danger  and  give 
them  good  fortune.  In  times  of  war  they  donned,  as  a  rule,  a 
huge  headgear  of  black  cocks'  feathers,  and  a  large  kilt  of  animals' 
tails  or  catskins. 

The  missionaries  were,  of  course,  much  concerned  at  the  people's 
primitive  dress,  or  rather  want  of  dress,  and  instilled  into  their 
minds  the  necessity  of  proper  clothing.  They  did  not  require  to 
use  much  persuasive  power,  as  the  people  were  only  too  eager  to  be 
like  the  European,  in  dress  as  in  everything  else.  When  Mr  Young 
"  constructed  "  a  garment  of  calico  for  one  of  the  Mission  girls,  she 
became  the  envy  of  all  her  sex  in  the  district.  In  fact,  so  anxious 
were  the  people  for  clothing  of  any  kind,  that  the  women  begged 
the  empty  coal-bags  from  the  Ilala,  cut  a  hole  in  the  end  for  their 
head  and  side  ones  for  their  arms,  and  walked  about  with  these, 
considering  them  excellent  outfits  ! 

But  shocking  though  the  appearance  of  the  natives  was,  the  mis- 
sionaries found  that  they  were  by  no  means  savages,  like  the  natives 
of  Polynesia  or  similar  regions.  As  a  rule,  the  only  things  to  be 
seen  about  them  suggesting  a  warlike  character  were  the  assegais 
or  bows  and  arrows  which  each  man  carried ;  but  such  weapons 
were  not  so  much  used,  perhaps,  for  purposes  of  war,  as  for  protec- 
tion against  beasts  of  prey  and  for  hunting  game.  When  un- 
molested by  Arab  slavers  and  Portuguese  oppressors,  the  natives 
were  not  so  uncivilised  as  might  be  imagined.  In  such  cases 
they  were  better  than  many  English  people  thought,  having  a 
good  disposition,  high  intellectual  powers,  strong  emotions  of 


THE  NAI'IVES  75 

tenderness  and  sympathy,  great  bravery  and  devotedness,  as  well 
as  other  excellent  qualities. 

By  the  time  the  missionaries  arrived  among  them,  these  tribes 
of  Nyasa  had  discovered  and  developed  many  useful  industries, 
equal  in  some  respects  to  those  of  civilised  countries.  They  knew 
nothing,  of  course,  of  the  coal  which  has  now  been  found  in  the 
West  Shire'  district  and  round  the  northern  half  of  the  Lake,  or  of 
the  gold,  both  quartz  and  alluvial,  which  is  reported  to  exist  in 
some  parts  of  Nyasaland.  Nor  were  they  aware  of  the  high  value 
of  their  soil  and  climate  for  the  growth  of  coffee  and  other  produc- 
tions so  largely  cultivated  now.  But  they  had  excellent  indigenous 
industries,  such  as  the  weaving  of  cotton  cloth,  the  smelting  of  iron 
and  the  making  of  iron  implements.  As  the  cotton  plant  grows 
wild  or  semi-wild  over  most  of  the  country,  a  good  deal  of  weaving 
was  carried  on,  especially  west  of  the  Lake  and  in  South  Ngoniland 
— an  industry  which  has  now  been  almost  killed  by  the  large 
importation  of  European  calico.  The  cloth  made  was  much 
coarser  than  the  finely  woven  texture  of  European  civilisation,  but 
it  was  very  substantial  and  sometimes  beautifully  ornamental. 
The  people  made  admirable  baskets  of  all  sizes  and  shapes,  some 
of  which  were  tightly  plaited  and  smeared  with  rubber-like  juice, 
so  as  to  be  impervious  to  water.  They  had  iron  mines  at  several 
places  near  the  Lake — iron  ore  being  nearly  everywhere  abundant 
in  Nyasaland — and  they  had  their  own  blacksmiths,  who  smelted 
the  metal  in  clay  furnaces  by  means  of  charcoal,  and  made  it  into 
useful  implements  or  into  weapons  of  war.  They  were  also 
acquainted  with  brass,  which  must  have  reached  them  from 
European  or  Indian  traders  on  the  east  coast.  They  worked  this 
amalgam  into  all  manner  of  things,  first  fusing  it  in  forges,  and 
then  using  it  to  ornament  spear  handles,  or  hammering  it  out  into 
bracelets  and  necklets.  On  the  Lower  Shire  and  Zambesi  the 
brass  work  was  remarkably  fine.  Many  of  the  people  lived  as 
fishermen  on  the  Lake  shore,  and  made  a  good  livelihood  by  this 
means,  as  the  Lake  contains  a  great  quantity  of  fish. 

Nearly  all  the  inhabitants  devoted  much  time  to  agriculture, 
growing  crops  of  maize,  millet,  pumpkins,  beans,  sweet  potatoes, 
and  such  like.  The  system  on  which  they  proceeded  was  certainly 
not  of  the  best,  as  it  consisted  mainly  in  cutting  down  the  trees, 
burning  them  in  the  dry  season,  and  then  digging  the  ashes  into 
the  soil.  The  next  year  this  section  of  land  was  abandoned,  and 


76  DATBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON IA 

another  treated  in  the  same  way.  This  was  a  wasteful  and  ruinous 
method,  tending  naturally  to  the  gradual  deforesting  of  the 
country.  But  they  would  undoubtedly  have  been  more  skilful 
agriculturists  if  they  had  only  enjoyed  freedom  from  continual 
warfare  and  the  devastations  of  slave-traders,  instead  of  having  to 
live  under  the  wretched  and  harried  circumstances  that  had 
existed  in  the  country  for  about  two  hundred  years.  They  did 
not  possess  many  goats  or  sheep,  but  they  all  kept  an  abundance 
of  poultry,  and  at  the  north  end  of  the  Lake,  the  Konde  tribe — 
who  were  the  best  agriculturists  of  all,  because  they  enjoyed 
undisturbed  peace — had  also  large  herds  of  cattle,  and  consequently 
an  abundance  of  milk  and  beef. 

Such  were  some  of  their  industries  and  occupations.  But 
what  about  their  religious  ideas  ?  These,  alas !  were  not  many, 
and  were  of  the  poorest  kind.  There  is  a  story  among  them  that 
when  man  was  born  into  the  world,  God  sent  two  messengers  to 
him — the  Chameleon  with  a  message  of  life,  endless,  glorious  life, 
and  the  Salamander  with  a  message  of  death.  But  the  latter 
outran  the  former,  and  hence  death  entered  into  the  world  and 
was  everywhere  proclaimed  before  any  message  of  life  could  arrive. 
It  is  but  a  legend  of  Central  Africa,  but  it  contains  some  truth. 
The  message  of  death  and  misery  had  indeed  reached  the  tribes 
of  Nyasaland,  and  had  been  with  them  for  untold  generations,  but 
the  message  of  life  and  happiness  had  never  come.  Heaven's  life 
to  them  was  an  idle  dream,  and  God  was  an  almost  unknown 
person. 

The  Lake  tribes,  among  whom  the  missionaries  commenced 
their  work,  had  a  peculiar  and  pathetic  religion — a  mixture  of 
polytheism,  pantheism,  and  monotheism.  They  had  innumerable 
gods,  although  they  had  no  idols.  The  spirit  of  every  deceased 
man  or  woman — except  wizards  and  witches — was  a  god.  At 
the  same  time,  they  believed  in  a  higher  Deity  or  Supreme  Spirit, 
although  each  tribe  generally  identified  him  with  some  great  dead 
chief,  or  associated  him  with  a  particular  mountain  or  cave.  To 
every  god,  high  or  low,  they  gave  the  name  Mulungu — the 
common  word  for  God  over  the  eastern  half  of  Bantu  Africa. 
As  a  rule,  they  conducted  their  worship  through  the  chiefs  or 
headmen,  who  were  the  recognised  high  priests,  and  who  generally 
presented  prayers  and  offerings  at  the  verandah  of  the  dead  man's 
house,  or  under  some  beautiful  tree.  When  for  instance  the 


THE  NATIVES  77 

land  was  thirsting  for  rain,  the  chief,  in  presence  of  a  vast  assembly, 
would  present  flour,  beer,  and  fowls  to  the  god  of  some  mountain 
on  whose  summit  the  dark  rain  clouds  were  supposed  to  rest. 
The  people  would  then  throw  water  into  the  air  and  pray  for  rain, 
in  the  belief  that  they  were  appeasing  Mulungu  and  procuring  his 
favour.  If  they  could  only  reach  him,  they  thought,  across  the 
mysterious  portals  of  the  grave,  he  would  be  sure  to  help  them. 
In  the  same  way  they  appealed  to  the  spirits  when  starting  on  a 
long  journey,  or  engaging  in  war,  or  going  on  a  hunting  expedition, 
or  in  cases  of  sickness,  famine,  and  such  like.  Some  of  these 
Lake  tribes  had  also  a  belief  in  the  transmigration  of  the  soul, 
holding  that  the  gods  or  spirits  often  appeared  in  animal  form — 
the  spirits  of  cruel  men  entering  into  serpents,  hyenas,  leopards, 
or  other  wild  animals  for  purposes  of  mischief,  and  those  of  good 
men  into  domestic  ones. 

Truly,  they  were  in  the  gall  of  bitterness  through  gross  supersti- 
tions, having  some  notion  of  a  Supreme  Being,  but  ignorant  of 
His  true  character.  They  were  scarcely  any  better,  in  regard  to 
religious  ideas,  than  the  pigmies  who  were  found  by  Stanley  in  the 
great  Congo  forest,  and  who  appealed  to  some  unknown  Being  in 
their  moments  of  sadness  and  terror.  "  Oh  Yer ! "  said  these 
forest  dwellers,  "  if  thou  dost  really  exist,  why  dost  thou  leave  us 
so  ?  Thou  hast  made  us,  wherefore  dost  thou  not  speak  to  us  ?  " 
In  Nyasaland  there  were,  and  still  are,  millions  in  an  almost 
similar  condition  of  ignorance,  destitute  of  all  knowledge  of  God, 
the  slaves  of  the  most  absurd  and  wicked  superstitions,  led  away 
by  the  darkest  and  most  futile  forms  of  worship,  ignorant  of 
themselves,  ignorant  of  God,  ignorant  of  Heaven,  and  without 
Christ  or  any  hope  of  a  better  hereafter. 

Worst  of  all,  perhaps,  their  religion  was  mixed  up  with  the 
constant  dread  of  evil  spirits.  They  believed  that  most  of  the 
mountains  and  thick  black  forests  were  haunted  by  these  terrible 
beings,  and  many  were  the  efforts  made  to  propitiate  them  with 
fowls  and  pots  of  flour.  They  ascribed  all  calamities,  diseases, 
and  deaths,  unless  from  accident  or  in  warfare,  to  witchcraft  or 
occult  influence.  As  a  rule,  when  a  native  died,  the  witch-finder 
— generally  a  woman — was  sent  for.  This  magician  would  then 
set  herself  to  discover  the  evil-disposed  wizard  or  witch — called 
Mfiti — whose  secret  spells  and  charms  had  caused  the  death. 
She  would  stay  for  some  time  in  the  village,  making  observations 


78  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

upon  everyone  and  endeavouring  to  track  the  offender,  and  in 
the  end  would  fix  either  upon  someone  who  had  a  grudge  against 
the  deceased,  or  more  probably  upon  some  poor  depraved  individual 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  rifling  graves  and  devouring  putrified 
human  flesh.  After  performing  various  rites  and  absurd  incantations, 
including  a  wild  and  fantastic  dance,  she  would  then  denounce  this 
person  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  villagers,  professing  to 
have  discovered  the  matter  by  supernatural  means.  The  un- 
fortunate individual  thus  accused  would  then  have  to  submit  to 
the  Muavi  ordeal  as  a  test  of  innocence  or  guilt — the  Muavi 
being  a  poison  prepared  from  the  triturated  bark  of  a  certain  tree 
(Erythrophloeum  guineense).  If  the  wretched  stuff  should  be 
vomited,  the  individual  would  be  considered  innocent.  If,  how- 
ever, it  should  happen  to  remain  in  the  stomach,  woe  betide  the 
poor  creature,  now  found  guilty  of  being  in  league  with  the  evil 
spirits  and  compassing  the  death  of  people  by  occult  means ! 
The  surrounding  crowd,  seized  with  murderous  madness,  would 
lynch  the  convicted  person  in  the  most  violent  manner,  and 
subsequently  burn  the  body,  or  hang  it  on  a  tree  for  the  vultures. 
They  would  take  good  care — poor,  deluded  wretches  ! — that  this 
bewitcher,  at  least,  could  no  longer  assume  the  form  of  a  jackal 
or  hyena  and  visit  the  graves  by  night,  summoning  the  dead  by 
the  names  of  their  childhood,  and  then  cooking  their  flesh  and 
eating  it ! 

There  were  many  other  superstitions,  too,  even  more  frightful. 
The  Muavi  ordeal  was  bad  enough,  but  worse  things  took  place. 
People  have  been  shocked  to  hear  of  the  Ashantee  sacrifices,  in 
which  hundreds  of  human  victims  were  ruthlessly  killed,  or  of 
Ashantee  funerals,  at  which  it  was  usual  to  wet  the  grave  by  the 
blood  of  other  human  beings,  who  were  slain  unsuspectingly,  and 
rolled  into  the  grave  with  the  corpse.  But  this  is  no  worse, 
perhaps,  than  what  took  place  in  Nyasaland,  almost  under  the 
eyes  of  the  missionaries.  If  a  chief  or  rich  man  died,  it  was  the 
usual  custom  in  some  districts  to  seize  a  number  of  his  slaves — 
sometimes  a  hundred — and  put  them  in  gori-sticks.  They  would 
afterwards  be  mercilessly  slaughtered,  and  buried  in  the  same 
grave  with  their  master,  so  that  they  might  accompany  him  in  his 
journey  to  the  spirit  world.  Such  deeds  of  cruelty  and  blood 
were  so  mixed  up  with  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  people  that 
they  produced  no  great  sensation.  In  Britain,  if  a  father  murders 


THE  NATIVES  79 

some  of  his  relatives,  if  a  brother  puts  a  sister  to  death,  if 
one  person  poisons  another,  a  thrill  of  horror  passes  through  the 
community,  and  the  public  voice  is  lifted  up  in  loud  and  terrible 
denunciations.  But  if  some  proprietor  were  to  slay  a  hundred  of 
his  dependants  and  bury  them  amid  revolting  rites,  no  language 
could  express  the  horror  with  which  such  a  monster  would  be 
regarded.  But  in  Nyasaland  such  deeds  were  so  common  not 
many  years  ago  that  they  failed  to  make  any  impression  on  the 
community,  and  were  regarded  as  actions  of  merit  rather  than  of 
infamy. 

Between  cruelty,  witchcraft,  divination,  charms,  Muavi  ordeals, 
spirit  worship,  and  similar  religious  practices,  the  natives  of 
Nyasaland  had  a  pitiable  existence.  Their  wars  and  slavery  were 
dreadful — God  only  knows  the  record  of  them  ! — but  these  dark, 
fiendish,  tormenting  superstitions  were  infinitely  worse,  because 
bound  up  with  their  very  life.  They  entered,  as  almost  the  only 
religion,  into  all  their  social  functions,  dogging  them  like  some 
horrid  incubus  to  the  day  of  their  death. 

One  cannot  think  of  these  terrible  facts  without  being  reminded 
of  the  dense  spiritual  ignorance  of  the  world  when  left  to  its  own 
devices.  The  record  has  been  essentially  the  same  in  every  heathen 
land,  from  the  snow-clad  hills  of  Greenland  to  the  sunny  slopes  of 
Polynesia,  and  in  every  age  of  the  world's  history.  Apart  from 
the  God  of  the  Bible,  men  have  been  deluded  into  the  most 
absurd  and  revolting  notions  on  the  subject  of  religion,  in  spite  of 
their  innate  sense  of  a  Divine  Being,  and  their  constant  conscious- 
ness of  dependence  on  Him.  Down  all  the  ages  to  the  present 
time,  so  frightful  have  been  the  abysses  of  depravity,  the  intoler- 
able cruelty,  the  extravagances  of  nameless  lust  associated  with 
religion,  that  if  the  veil  were  fully  lifted,  Christendom  could  not 
bear  the  story.  Gibbon — who  regarded  everything  with  passion- 
less, unprejudiced  mind — has  given  us  a  slight  but  fearfully 
significant  picture  of  the  licentious  religion  which  prevailed  in 
the  ancient  world.  It  is  the  same  still.  In  all  places  untouched 
by  the  light  of  Heaven,  men  are  living  and  moving  in  a 
festerir.g  spiritual  morass,  poisonous,  maleficent,  and  rank  with 
corruption. 

What  humanity  needs  amid  all  this  dense  spiritual  ignorance  is 
the  divine  truth  of  Christianity,  bringing  with  it  a  saving  knowledge 
of  God,  and  producing  a  radical  revolution  in  the  thoughts  and 


8o  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

feelings  of  men.  There  is  no  other  power  from  which  restoration 
can  proceed — there  is  nothing  else  that  can  free  men  from  Satanic 
delusion  and  uplift  them  to  a  nobler  life.  Nothing  but  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  can  avail  against  such  a  tumultuous  flood  of  evil.  No 
mere  earthly  power,  whether  of  philosophy  or  civilisation  or  society, 
can  stem  the  torrent,  any  more  than  a  man  can  check  the  rapids 
of  Niagara,  or  resist  the  suck  of  a  whirlpool.  Only  Christianity 
can  avail.  Its  unique,  its  imperative,  its  affectionate  message, 
straight  from  the  heart  of  the  Infinite,  and  revealing  His  trans- 
cendent holiness  of  spirit  and  His  marvellous  self-sacrifice  on 
Calvary's  Cross — this,  and  nothing  else,  can  destroy  the  religious 
barbarism  and  pollution  of  the  world.  Only  let  it  be  proclaimed 
to  all  men  and  obtain  perfect  supremacy  in  the  world,  and  the 
fetid  darkness  of  heathenism  will  vanish,  and  there  will  be  found  in 
Africa  and  everywhere  else  a  society  as  free  from  degrading  notions 
as  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

So  far  we  have  referred  to  the  social  and  religious  condition  of 
the  natives.  But  what  must  be  said  about  their  moral  life  ?  If 
their  religion  was  cruel  and  repulsive,  could  their  morality  be  any 
better?  Whatever  modern  deists,  rationalists,  and  infidels  may 
say  about  the  independence  of  morality  and  religion,  such  a  thing 
is  an  idle  delusion.  True  religion  is  the  back-bone  of  morality ; 
and  a  degrading  religion,  such  as  we  have  described,  is  the  mother 
of  immorality  and  vice.  Only  he  who  is  true  to  the  God  of  the 
Bible  can  be  true  to  himself  and  his  fellow-men ;  and  he  who  is 
ignorant  of  such  a  Being  is  not  likely  to  recognise  any  binding 
obligations  to  man,  except  on  purely  selfish  and  utilitarian  grounds. 
What,  then,  must  be  said  regarding  the  moral  life  of  these  natives  ? 

On  the  whole  it  was  very  bad.  Stuart  Mill  has  declared  that 
"  man  is  naturally  a  lover  of  dirt,  a  sort  of  wild  animal,  craftier 
than  the  other  beasts,  to  whom  the  most  criminal  actions  are  not 
more  unnatural  than  most  of  the  virtues."  However  we  may 
regard  it,  this  statement  might  be  applied  to  the  natives  of  Central 
Africa.  Some  of  them  undoubtedly  show  beautiful  traits  of  a 
finer  character  than  one  would  at  first  be  led  to  suppose,  being 
likeable  and  teachable,  and  in  general,  kind  and  trustworthy. 
Nevertheless,  the  most  criminal  actions  were  of  common  occurrence 
among  them.  A  few  years  ago  the  world  was  startled  by  hearing 
of  "Darkest  England,"  with  its  sunken  tenth  of  3,000,000.  A 
veritable  shock  was  experienced  when  men  realised  the  sin,  the 


THE  NATIVES  81 

corruption,  the  breaking  hearts  that  existed  so  near  their  own 
doors.  But  if  this  be  Darkest  England,  what  can  be  said  of 
Darkest  Africa  before  any  missionaries  ventured  thither?  What 
can  be  said  of  it  even  yet  ?  Livingstone  and  Stanley  have  told 
us  something — so  have  our  missionaries ;  but  the  full  amount  of 
iniquity  and  corruption,  who  can  tell  ? 

As  we  understand  morality,  the  natives  had  little  conception  of 
it.  In  the  matters  of  everyday  life  it  was  almost  unknown.  Theft 
or  falsehood,  when  undetected,  was  considered  an  evidence  of 
skill  and  ingenuity,  and  by  no  means  a  fault. 

But  few  things,  perhaps,  better  show  the  moral  degradation  of 
these  natives  than  their  evil  dances  and  their  "  Initiation  Cere- 
monies." These  ceremonies  were  great  events.  They  consisted 
in  the  young  people  being  put  under  the  care  of  some  old, 
experienced  individual,  by  whom  they  were  taken  to  the  bush, 
at  some  distance  from  the  village,  where  temporary  huts  had  been 
erected  for  them.  There  they  were  kept  in  semi-seclusion  for 
several  days,  or  in  some  cases  for  a  month  or  more,  to  be 
instructed  in  the  duties  of  social  and  domestic  life.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  some  good  advice  was  given  to  them.  They  were 
warned  against  selfishness,  and  instructed  in  the  customs  of  their 
particular  tribe,  and  in  their  duties  towards  the  community;  but 
much  of  the  advice  was  of  a  highly  pernicious  character,  leading 
to  unspeakable  moral  evils.  In  connection  with  this  instruction 
there  were  special  dances,  accompanied  by  a  large  amount  of  vice, 
and  performed  amid  drunken  revelry.  Both  the  ceremonies  and 
the  dances  connected  with  them  were  of  a  mysterious  nature. 
They  were  never  thrust  on  the  notice  of  the  white  man.  In  fact, 
they  have  seldom  or  never  been  witnessed  by  a  European,  our 
only  knowledge  of  them  being  derived  from  the  trustworthy 
accounts  of  educated  natives. 

In  referring  to  these  and  other  moral  evils  that  existed  in  Central 
Africa,  it  may  be  objected  that  they  are  not  much  worse,  perhaps, 
than  what  occurs  in  many  countries  professedly  Christian.  We 
admit  this.  The  history  of  Christian  countries  often  presents  a 
similar  picture  of  moral  corruption.  We  have  but  to  think  of  the 
state  of  the  Latin  Christians  in  the  fifth  century,  as  described  by 
Silvianus,  who  charges  them  with  every  vice,  and  puts  them  below 
the  barbarians  in  regard  to  morality ;  or  of  the  condition  of 
Catholic  France,  under  Louis  XIV.  and  XV. ;  or  of  the  large 
W 


82  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

capitals  of  Europe  and  America  in  our  own  days.  In  some 
respects  most  diabolical  sins  are  found  in  so-called  Christian 
lands,  and  apostacy  from  Christianity  may  be  said  to  be  worse 
than  .heathenism.  But  these  things,  it  must  be  remembered,  are 
brought  out  so  palpably,  because  of  the  contrast  with  Christianity; 
and,  in  addition,  there  remains  this  radical  difference  :  the  heathen 
corruptions,  which  we  have  referred  to,  were  produced  and 
sanctioned  by  the  religious  ideas  of  the  people ;  while  Christian 
nations  are  corrupt  in  direct  opposition  to  Christianity,  which 
possesses  the  highest  system  ot  morals,  and  acts  as  an  elevating 
and  purifying  power. 

Let  us  not,  therefore,  put  the  morality  01  these  natives  higher 
than  it  should  be.  Only  God  knows  how  bad  it  was.  Let  the 
reader  think  seriously  of  it.  Apart  from  their  habits  and  industries, 
let  him  think  of  the  utter  wretchedness  of  their  condition — spiritual 
as  well  as  moral.  He  will  better  understand  this  if  he  can  but 
understand  what  the  power  of  darkness  is,  for  under  its  domina- 
tion they  lived  and  suffered.  We  have  read  of  the  salt  mines  of 
Cracow,  where  human  beings  were  doomed  to  live  and  toil  from 
week  to  week,  and  year  to  year,  and  never  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
sun.  The  unearthly  glare  of  the  torches  flashed  its  red  light  upon 
the  walls.  There  were  black  lakes  lying  in  the  gloom.  There 
were  dark  murmuring  rivers  rolling  amid  the  caves.  But  there 
were  no  flowers,  no  bright  landscape,  no  blue  sky.  All  there  was 
the  power  of  darkness.  Shift  the  picture  to  Nyasaland,  for  it  is 
but  a  picture  of  that  country,  and  of  every  other  heathen  country 
without  a  knowledge  of  a  Saviour.  The  faculties  and  imaginations 
of  these  natives  were  working  in  a  pitiable  and  profound  darkness, 
unblessed  by  any  rays  of  Gospel  light.  Strange  and  terrible  super- 
stitions, fiendish  practices,  and  fearful  social  evils  followed  them 
from  birth  to  death,  but  no  ray  from  the  sun  of  righteousness  had 
reached  them — no  news  of  an  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light 
had  come  to  them.  It  was  a  darkness  worse  than  that  of  the 
forest  of  the  Aruwimi,  a  darkness  that  could  be  felt,  in  which 
strange  evil  powers  held  dominion,  and  where  the  only  music 
heard  was  the  bitter  groaning  of  crushed  and  helpless  human 
beings.  Sensual  and  selfish  Arabs,  the  children  of  the  desert,  had 
invaded  the  land,  only  making  the  darkness  deeper  and  the  curse 
more  grievous. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  people  when  the  Livingstonia 


THE  NATIVES  83 

missionaries  settled  among  them.  Now,  at  last,  the  Dayspring 
from  on  high  was  to  visit  them,  to  deliver  them  from  the  kingdom 
of  darkness.  They  had  been  sunken  deeper,  infinitely  deeper 
than  the  submerged  tenth  of  England,  but  they  were  to  be  raised. 
And  it  was  to  be  done,  not  by  mere  culture  or  civilisation  or  any 
earthly  agency,  but  by  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.  He  who 
heard  the  groaning  of  the  slaves  in  Egypt,  who  emptied  Himself 
of  His  glory  and  gave  His  life  a  ransom  for  men,  had  stretched 
out  his  hand  to  the  sons  of  Nyasa,  and  stepped  in  for  their 
deliverance.  "  Other  sheep,  I  have,"  he  said,  "  which  are  not  of 
this  fold :  them  also  I  must  bring ;  and  there  shall  be  one  fold 
and  one  shepherd." 


CHAPTER  VI 
REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS 

THE  Mission  party  had  landed  at  Nyasa,  had  established  the 
Station,  and  had  made  arrangements  for  work ;  but  there  was 
room  for  extension.  Accordingly,  on  the  2oth  of  May  1876, 
twelve  months  after  this  first  party  left  the  shores  of  Britain,  the 
Committee  at  home  sent  out  a  reinforcement  of  four,  viz. : — Rev. 
William  Black,  M.B.,  CM. ;  Mr  John  Gunn,  Agriculturist;  Mr 
Robert  S.  Ross,  Engineer  and  Blacksmith ;  and  Mr  Archibald  C. 
Miller,  Weaver. 

These  were  all  earnest,  consecrated  men,  on  whose  hearts  the 
name  of  Christ  was  written  in  large  characters.  Dr  Black  had 
been  for  some  time  assistant  to  Dr  Lyell,  of  the  Glasgow  Medical 
Missionary  Society.  His  heart  was  deeply  set  on  the  evangelisa- 
tion of  Central  Africa.  Only  a  year  before  his  appointment  to 
Livingstonia  he  had  sailed  to  Bombay  as  ship  surgeon,  and  while 
there  had  received  tempting  offers  of  professional  advancement ; 
but  he  was  too  much  bent  on  Africa  to  be  turned  aside  by  these 
temporal  inducements.  He  thought  for  Africa,  read  for  Africa, 
and  schemed  for  Africa.  The  three  tradesmen  who  were  appointed 
along  with  him,  according  to  his  own  testimony,  were  "  splendid 
fellows,  able-bodied,  well  educated,  but  better  still — humble,  good, 
kind,  and  pious." 

A  valedictory  meeting  was  held  in  the  Free  Church  College 
Hall,  Glasgow,  on  the  25th  of  April,  prior  to  the  departure  of  this 
second  expedition.  The  Rev.  Principal  Douglas  occupied  the 
chair,  and  there  was  a  large  attendance,  among  those  present 
being  Miss  Livingstone,  sister  of  the  illustrious  traveller.  At  this 
meeting  Dr  Black  was  presented  with  two  valuable  cases  of  surgical 
instruments ;  and  the  proceedings  were  rendered  doubly  interesting 
by  the  exhibition  during  the  evening  of  a  model  of  the  hut  in  which 
Dr  Livingstone  died — made  by  one  of  his  faithful  attendants — the 
great  traveller's  Bible,  his  last  note-book,  a  small  pencil  used  by  him 
84 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  85 

in  taking  notes,  his  revolver,  and  a  number  of  native  weapons — all 
these  articles  having  been  lent  by  his  sister.  Another  meeting,  in 
connection  with  the  Sabbath  Schools'  Missionary  Association,  was 
held  in  the  Barony  Free  Church,  Glasgow,  of  which  Dr  Black  was 
a  member.  The  children,  with  whom  he  was  always  a  great 
favourite,  had  expended  upwards  of  ;£ioo  in  the  purchase  of  a 
well-furnished  medicine-chest,  a  magic  lantern,  a  photographic 
apparatus,  and  a  pocket  Bible.  These  were  now  presented  to  him 
in  presence  of  a  large  and  enthusiastic  gathering  of  young  and  old. 
In  heartily  thanking  the  "  dear  bairns,"  Dr  Black  mentioned  that 
he  had  received  smaller  presents  from  not  a  few  quarters.  One 
was  from  a  little  boy,  poor  and  ragged,  who  handed  him  a  "  glass 
bool,"  and  said  with  much  feeling,  "  Tak'  this  if  it's  ony  use  tae 
ye."  Poor  little  fellow !  He  did  what  he  could,  and  had  some 
interest  in  the  world  beyond  his  own  personal  concerns.  There 
was  also  a  farewell  meeting  in  the  Free  High  Church,  Edinburgh, 
at  which  the  venerable  Dr  Duff  presided  ;  and  Dr  Black,  in  this  his 
last  appearance  at  home,  spoke  with  much  enthusiasm  on  the  life- 
work  on  which  he  was  about  to  enter.  Little  did  he  think  that 
he  was  parting  with  many  whom  he  would  not  see  again  on 
earth,  and  that  in  a  few  months  he  would  be  called  to  higher 
service ! 

This  second  company  also  included  Dr  Macklin  and  five  artisan- 
missionaries  sent  out  by  the  Established  Church  to  the  projected 
settlement  at  Blantyre.  One  of  these  artisans  was  Mr  John 
Buchanan,  the  introducer  of  coffee  culture  into  British  Central 
Africa.  After  leaving  the  service  of  the  Mission  in  1880,  he 
became  Acting  -  Consul  for  Nyasaland,  then  Vice  -  Consul  at 
Blantyre,  and  in  return  for  his  labours  received  a  C.M.G.  in 
1890.  At  the  time  of  his  death  in  1896,  he  was  still  by  far  the 
most  considerable  coffee  planter  in  British  Central  Africa.  In 
this  company  there  were  also  Mr  H.  B.  Cotterill,  son  of  Bishop 
Cotterill  of  Edinburgh,  an  artist  named  Mr  Thelwall,  and  two 
others,  who  were  all  going  up  the  Shire"  independent  of  the 
Mission,  and  for  a  different  but  laudable  purpose.  Mr  Cotterill 
was  proceeding  to  the  Lake  region  to  commence  legitimate 
commerce.  For  some  time  he  had  been  one  of  the  masters  at 
Haileybury  College,  where  he  had  read  Livingstone's  works,  and 
shuddered  at  the  horrors  of  slavery.  As  an  outlet  for  his  feelings, 
he  had  been  recommended  by  Sir  Bartle  Frere  to  write  on  the 


86  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

subject ;  but  he  felt  that  it  was  only  by  action  that  anything  could 
be  done.  He  became  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Livingstone's 
advice  to  introduce  legitimate  trade,  and  accordingly  he  ac- 
companied this  Livingstonia  expedition  with  this  object  in  view, 
in  the  hope  of  doing  something  thereby  to  extinguish  the  slave- 
trade.  The  boys  at  Harrow  School,  where  he  was  once  a  master, 
had  subscribed  £400,  with  which  they  had  provided  a  fine  boat, 
the  Jferga,  for  his  use  on  the  Lake. 

On  behalf  of  the  Free  Church,  Dr  Murray  Mitchell  and  Sir 
John  Cowan  (Convener  of  the  Edinburgh  Committee  for  raising 
funds)  proceeded  to  London  to  make  all  necessary  arrangements 
for  the  comfort  and  success  of  the  party,  and  to  see  them  fairly 
off.  Rev.  Dr  Macrae,  of  Hawick,  was  present  to  represent  the 
Established  Church.  "They  went  forth,"  says  Dr  Mitchell,  "in 
a  spirit  of  simple  devotedness  and  faith,  rejoicing  that  the  Lord 
had  been  pleased  to  send  them  '  far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles.' 
We  gazed  with  the  deepest  interest  on  the  steamer,  the  Windsor 
Castle,  as  she  left  us.  A  magnificent  vessel  she  looked,  as  she 
proudly  bore  away,  carrying  the  messengers  of  peace  to  far-off 
Africa,  amid  a  flood  of  sunshine  that  reminded  me  of  the  cloudless 
splendour  of  a  day  in  India,  and  emblematic  of  the  light  of  God's 
countenance,  which  has  rested  hitherto  on  everything  connected 
with  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  and  which,  we  trust  and  pray,  may 
so  continue  to  rest  throughout  all  time  to  come." 

Dr  Stewart  was  now  able  to  leave  Lovedale  for  some  time,  and 
undertake  pioneering  work  at  Livingstonia ;  and  so  by  arrange- 
ment of  the  Committee,  he  joined  the  whole  party  at  Port 
Elizabeth,  Algoa  Bay,  his  place  at  Lovedale  being  taken  by  the 
Rev.  John  Buchanan,  minister  at  Durban.  He  took  with  him 
four  native  Kaffir  assistants,  who  had  been  carefully  trained,  viz. 
— William  Koyi,  Shadrach  Ngunana,  A.  Mapas  Ntintili,  and 
Isaac  Williams  Wauchope.  He  had  made  an  appeal  at  a  solemn 
meeting  of  native  pupils  for  volunteers  for  Livingstonia,  when 
fourteen  declared  themselves  willing  to  go.  These  four  were 
chosen  from  the  number,  and  were  liberally  provided  with  all 
necessaries  by  the  generous  hearted  colonists  in  the  district. 
They  certainly  made  a  worthy  gift  from  South  to  Central 
Africa. 

Including  the  Free  and  Established  Church  missionaries  from 
Scotland,  the  native  evangelists  from  Lovedale,  the  merchants, 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  87 

and  others,  this  second  party  up  to  Lake  Nyasa  was  a  large  one. 
They  were  detained  at  Port  Elizabeth  for  a  long  time,  waiting 
for  the  Ansgarius,  a  Swedish  missionary  ship,  specially  chartered 
for  them.  But  in  the  meantime  an  enthusiastic  meeting  was  held 
in  the  Town  Hall  to  welcome  them,  to  express  sympathy  with  the 
objects  of  the  Mission,  and  to  thank  God  for  the  success  already 
accomplished.  There  had  been  an  excellent  meeting  of  the  same 
kind  at  Cape  Town ;  but  this  one  surpassed  it  in  interest  and 
eloquence.  The  chair  was  taken  by  Mr  William  Dunn,  M.P., 
and  the  gathering  was  not  only  spontaneous,  hearty,  and  earnest, 
but  was  one  of  the  largest  that  had  ever  assembled  in  Port 
Elizabeth,  clearly  indicating  that  South  Africa,  like  England  and 
Scotland,  was  deeply  interested  in  the  Christianisation  and  evan- 
gelisation of  Nyasaland. 

The  Ansgarius  sailed  with  them  in  July,  taking  them  to 
Kilimane,  the  capital  of  Portuguese  Zambesia.  Their  route 
now  lay  along  the  Kwakwa  river  to  the  Zambesi,  involving  a 
tedious  boat  journey  of  several  days  through  a  most  uninterest- 
ing part  of  the  country,  infested  by  mosquitoes  and  other  venomous 
insects,  and  afterwards  a  journey  of  four  miles  overland  to  Mazaro 
on  the  Zambesi — a  point  which  any  of  the  river  steamers  can  now 
reach  easily  from  the  Chinde  entrance  in  one  and  a  half  or  two 
days.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  when  their  progress  was 
almost  checked  by  the  desertion  of  a  large  number  of  canoemen 
and  boatmen.  They  were  also  in  danger  of  being  robbed,  and 
an  armed  guard  was  found  to  be  necessary.  But  these  difficulties 
passed  away  without  anything  more  serious  than  the  loss  of  a  little 
calico. 

In  the  meantime  Mr  Young  was  making  preparations  for 
receiving  this  second  band  of  missionaries  at  Cape  Maclear. 
He  resolved  to  go  down  from  the  Lake  to  the  lower  end  of 
the  Murchison  Cataracts  to  give  them  a  hearty  British  welcome. 
He  started  on  the  i2th  August,  not  knowing  how  soon  they 
might  arrive.  On  reaching  the  head  of  the  Cataracts  he  left 
the  steamer  there  in  charge  of  Dr  Laws,  and  made  his  way  down 
to  Matiti  at  the  foot,  walking  a  distance  of  about  seventy  miles 
over  a  very  bad  tract  in  the  face  of  a  blazing  hot  sun.  Here  he 
was  disappointed  at  receiving  no  news  of  the  party,  being  unaware 
that  they  had  not  yet  commenced  their  inland  journey.  But  he 
spent  some  time  in  erecting  a  large  shed  to  contain  their  stores 


88  DAYBREAK  IN  LIF1NGSTONIA 

on  arrival,  and  also  paid  a  long  visit  to  Ramakukane,  the  neigh 
bouring  Makololo  chief.  After  this  he  set  himself  to  prevent  an 
attack  on  the  people  by  a  large  body  of  Ngoni  Zulus,  who  had 
come  down  from  the  hills  for  this  purpose.  By  boldly  visiting 
these  warriors  in  their  own  camp,  and  exercising  a  kindly  spirit, 
he  managed  to  completely  pacify  them,  and  became  the  talk  of 
the  whole  district  for  having  remained  unterrified  in  their  presence. 

Then  there  followed  a  long  wearisome  time  of  waiting  on  Dr 
Stewart's  party,  accompanied  by  days  of  scorching  heat  and  dis- 
tressing attacks  of  fever.  It  would  have  been  more  wearisome 
still,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  continued  kindness  of  the  Makololo, 
who  attended  to  his  every  want  and  treated  him  as  a  second 
Livingstone.  After  weeks  of  this  anxious  waiting,  varied  by  fever 
and  other  discouraging  circumstances,  this  persevering  officer  felt 
his  strength  thoroughly  gone,  and  fearing  that  he  would  be  useless 
to  himself  and  to  Dr  Stewart's  party  on  their  arrival,  he  resolved 
to  return  to  the  Ilala,  and  made  arrangements  accordingly. 
Happily,  however,  on  2nd  October,  when  just  about  to  leave, 
he  received  information  that  Dr  Black  had  reached  the  Ruo  in 
safety  with  the  first  part  of  the  expedition,  and  that  Dr  Stewart 
was  not  far  behind.  Next  day  at  sunset  he  had  the  inexpressible 
joy  of  meeting  the  party,  and  giving  them  an  enthusiastic 
welcome. 

The  missionaries  of  the  Established  Church  who  were  going 
to  Blantyre  now  separated  from  the  company  and  proceeded 
eastward  on  a  two  days'  journey  to  their  destination,  while  the 
Livingstonia  party  proceeded  onward  to  the  head  of  the  Cataracts 
in  two  detachments,  with  about  500  carriers  each,  followed  by 
Mr  Cotterill,  who  required  more  time  owing  to  the  transport  of 
his  heavy  steel  boat.  Before  the  first  detachment,  under  Mr 
Young,  commenced  their  journey,  he  addressed  the  vast  multitude 
of  carriers  and  on-lookers — about  1500  altogether — as  he  had 
done  a  year  before.  "  I  told  the  interpreter  to  say  to  them  that 
we  were  now  going  to  call  on  the  one  living  and  true  God,  to 
thank  Him  for  His  mercy  to  us  hitherto,  and  to  pray  that  He 
would  bless  us  in  what  still  lay  before  us  to  do.  Dr  Black  led 
us  in  singing  the  missionary  hymn,  and  I  requested  all  to  keep 
silence :  then  we  held  service  together.  I  think  it  will  be  many 
a  day  before  my  comrades  forget  the  reverent  awe  and  silence  of 
the  moment." 


REINFORCEMENTS  4ND  PROGRESS  89 

The  carriers  then  began  their  hot  climb  among  the  steeps  and 
boulders  of  the  Cataracts.  It  is  wonderful  what  an  extraordinary 
power  of  endurance  the  natives  have.  They  can  carry  a  load  of 
fifty  pounds  on  their  head  with  great  ease,  walking  twenty  miles 
a  day  at  a  brisk  pace  and  under  a  burning  sun,  without  any  signs 
of  succumbing.  They  can  climb  mountains  better  even  than  the 
Highlanders  of  Scotland — some  of  them  being  veritable  goats  in 
nimbleness  and  sureness  of  foot.  They  can  crawl  up  the  face 
of  a  rock  with  fifty  pounds'  weight  on  their  heads,  holding  the 
load  with  one  hand  and  clutching  at  projections  with  the  other. 
The  carriers  employed  with  this  second  expedition  performed 
their  journey  of  nearly  seventy  miles  in  three  days  and  two  hours, 
in  spite  of  their  heavy  loads. 

From  the  head  of  the  Cataracts  the  Ilala  carried  each  of  the 
detachments  to  Cape  Maclear,  and  landed  them  safely  at  the 
Mission  Station.  The  following  interesting  account  by  Dr  Stewart 
of  this  journey  is  worth  reading,  especially  his  description  of  the 
great  chief  Mponda  : — "  We  went  on  board  the  Ilala  on  Thursday, 
1 9th  October.  There  were  twenty-five  in  all  in  the  ship,  and  she 
was  filled  up  with  stores  and  wood  for  the  voyage.  We  sailed  at 
sunrise,  and  the  change  from  our  former  slow  progression  with  oar 
and  pole,  tugging  all  day  against  the  strong  current  of  the  Shire, 
was  a  great  and  pleasant  relief.  The  following  day,  at  three,  we 
arrived  at  Mponda's,  and  anchored.  He  is  the  most  powerful 
chief  on  the  upper  Shire\  Mr  Young  and  I  went  ashore  to  visit 
him.  I  found  Mponda  a  younger  man  than  I  expected,  perhaps 
about  forty.  He  was  exceedingly  friendly,  but  not  quite  sober, 
though  it  was  only  the  third  hour  of  the  afternoon.  He  is,  like 
many  other  African  chiefs,  a  great  beer-drinker.  We  made  our 
stay  short,  gave  our  present,  and  came  away.  What  disappointed 
me  most  in  my  visit  was  the  many  traces  of  Arab  influence  and 
Arab  civilisation,  such  as  it  is.  We  cannot  wonder  that  he  has 
taken  what  they  have  brought,  as  it  was  better  than  anything  he 
had.  They  have  been  his  teachers;  and  so  much  the  greater 
a  pity.  There  were  several  good,  large  square  houses  in  the 
village.  His  own  house  had  high  doors,  the  posts  and  lintels 
of  which  were  carved  with  that  debased  style  of  ornament, 
common  everywhere  among  the  Arabs.  Degraded  and  very  ugly 
negroes  from  the  coast,  with  small  straw  fezes  stuck  on  the 
crowns  of  their  badly-shapen  heads,  and  wearing  greasy  Arab 


90  DATBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

dresses,  were  lounging  about  the  entrance  to  Mponda's  house. 
They  carried  old  flint  muskets,  the  barrels  of  which  were  polished 
as  bright  as  abundance  of  grease  and  much  rubbing  could  make 
them ;  and  they  comported  themselves  with  the  air  of  armed  men 
of  a  higher  caste  than  those  about  them.  There  were  many  good 
faces  in  the  crowd  of  villagers  who  stood  and  squatted  round 
about  us,  that  they  might  stare  to  the  full  at  their  new  visitors. 
I  was  not  much  gratified  with  the  result  of  our  visit,  but  I  would 
be  wrong  to  represent  Mponda  as  otherwise  than  very  friendly  to 
us  at  present,  despite,  no  doubt,  of  much  which  these  dealers  in 
flesh  and  blood  must  say  to  prejudice  him  against  us.  He  was 
very  friendly,  and  smote  on  his  heart  again  and  again,  and  with 
his  little  finger  clasped  mine  and  pulled  hard  in  token  of 
everlasting  friendship !  But  as  this  was  due  probably  to 
the  good  nature  and  exhilaration  which  strong  beer  is  apt  to 
produce,  perhaps  we  had  better  not  reckon  this  as  of  much 
account. 

"  We  anchored  for  the  night  in  a  bight  on  the  edge  of  the  Lake, 
and  at  dawn  next  morning  we  steamed  into  the  Lake  itself.  The 
custom  on  board  the  steamer  is  to  have  morning  worship  after 
starting,  when  the  first  steam  in  the  boiler  is  getting  low.  The 
engines  are  stopped  for  a  few  minutes,  and  we  gather  forward.  At 
Mr  Young's  request  we  sang  '  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains,' 
and  all  joined  with  a  heartiness  and  fervour  which  the  peculiar 
associations  of  the  place  and  the  hour  helped  no  doubt  to 
heighten.  We  rounded  a  small  island  off  Cape  Maclear  at 
12.30,  and  immediately  came  in  sight  of  the  settlement,  distant 
about  five  miles.  It  was  not  much  to  look  at  either  far  off  or  near 
at  hand,  but  the  germs  of  things  are  often  insignificant." 

On  2nd  November,  a  few  days  after  the  arrival  of  Dr  Stewart's 
party,  Mr  Young  left  by  arrangement  for  England,  as  his  leave 
from  the  Admiralty  expired  in  a  few  months.  After  much  hand- 
shaking with  friends,  white  and  black,  he  bade  adieu  to  the 
memorable  scene  of  his  manifold  labours  and  triumphs.  Having 
visited  the  Established  Church  Station  at  Blantyre,  he  made 
his  way  to  Kilimane.  Here  he  missed  the  monthly  mail  steamer, 
which  started  before  her  time  without  even  communicating  with  the 
shore ;  and  he  had  consequently  to  remain  for  a  still  further  period, 
suffering  at  the  same  time  from  a  severe  attack  of  fever.  The  day 
before  the  next  steamer  was  due  he  made  his  way  to  the  signal- 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  91 

station  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  he  found  himself  among 
many  discomforts.  After  remaining  several  days  under  such 
harassing  circumstances,  he  gave  up  all  hopes  of  any  mail  steamer 
calling,  and  ultimately  arranged  with  the  captain  of  a  Norwegian 
schooner  to  land  him  at  some  port  in  South  Africa.  He  reached 
Cape  Town  on  3rd  January  1877,  where  he  was  received  with  great 
distinction  and  delivered  a  public  address  to  an  interested  audience. 
On  his  return  to  the  shores  of  Britain  in  February  he  met  with  a 
most  hearty  and  honourable  welcome.  He  had  completed  the 
noble  and  hazardous  work  undertaken  in  the  cause  of  Christianity 
and  common  humanity.  He  had  been  the  leader  of  the  Living- 
stonia  advanced  guard,  had  introduced  the  missionaries  to  the 
unknown  shores  of  Nyasa,  had  seen  them  established  properly, 
and  had  opened  a  pathway  into  the  interior  of  Africa,  by  which 
the  deathblow  could  be  given  to  slavery,  and  the  seeds  of 
Christianity  sown  where  barbarism  reigned  supreme — an  achieve- 
ment, as  the  venerable  Dr  Duff  said,  "  without  a  rival  or  parallel 
in  the  history  of  missions."  It  was  his  third  great  effort  for  Africa, 
and  was  more  beneficent,  more  thrilling,  more  sublime,  as  well  as 
more  triumphant  by  far  than  any  of  his  previous  ones.  It  need 
hardly  be  said  that,  on  his  return,  he  laboured  most  energetically 
on  behalf  of  the  Mission.  Although  his  special  forte  was  action, 
not  speaking,  he  addressed  meetings  in  all  the  chief  towns  of 
Scotland,  being  reticent  only  on  one  point,  viz.,  his  own  share 
of  the  enterprise.  In  Edinburgh  and  other  places,  when  he 
rose  to  speak,  the  audience  stood  for  several  minutes  and 
cheered  vociferously.  His  simple  unvarnished  tale,  given  in  a 
racy  manner,  and  conveying  vivid  pictures  of  native  life, 
made  a  powerful  impression,  and  stirred  the  hearts  of  many 
people. 

The  general  management  of  the  Mission  and  authority  over 
all  its  operations  now  devolved  for  a  time  upon  Dr  Stewart. 
If  Mr  Young,  with  his  admirable  skill,  energy,  and  courage, 
his  philanthropic  zeal  for  enslaved  Africa,  and  his  kind  Christian 
disposition,  had  made  an  excellent  leader  and  fulfilled  the  very 
high  expectations  formed  regarding  him,  Dr  Stewart  could  not 
be  said  to  fall  short  of  him.  Under  his  guidance,  and  with 
his  far-seeing  missionary  enthusiasm,  the  party  began  to  work 
with  increased  life  and  hopefulness.  "  If  I  had  hitherto  been 
the  adze,"  says  Mr  Young,  "to  roughly  hew  the  project  of 


92  DAYBREAK  IN  LIV1NGSTONIA 

Livingstonia  into  shape,  with  him  now  lay  the  part  of  the 
chisel  to  cut  out  the  sharper  lines."  And  no  one  could  do 
this  difficult  part  better  than  Dr  Stewart.  The  carrying  out  of 
the  arrangements  which  he  made  at  this  time  and  the  adoption 
of  his  proposals  have  had  much  to  do  with  the  present  success- 
ful state  of  the  Mission. 

He  was  not  altogether  satisfied  with  the  site  chosen,  believing 
it  to  be  unhealthy,  and  too  confined,  but  he  set  himself  en- 
thusiastically to  work.  The  Mission  had  still  to  be  laid  on  its 
course.  It  did  not  require  the  alteration  of  many  points,  but 
it  required  some,  and  these  he  gave  it.  As  soon  as  possible 
he  made  important  improvements  on  the  station,  such  as  the 
building  of  additional  houses,  the  cultivation  of  some  of  the 
surrounding  land,  and  the  laying  out  of  gardens  and  roads. 
He  greatly  improved  the  station  in  many  other  ways  which 
space  forbids  us  to  mention  ;  and  he  did  everything  with  the 
express  object  of  benefiting  the  natives,  and  clearing  the  way 
for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  The  result  was  that  the  popula- 
tion around  the  Mission  Station  rose  to  127  in  September 
1877,  and  347  in  December  1878,  and  about  500  in 
1881. 

Out  of  this  large  population  there  were  many  fugitive  slaves, 
who  were  glad  to  obtain  the  protection  of  the  white  man. 
Previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  Mission,  there  was  little 
hope  of  slaves  escaping  from  their  cruel  oppressors.  To  flee 
from  one  village  was  only  to  be  captured  at  another.  But  now, 
with  this  "city  of  refuge"  accessible,  they  had  every  encourage- 
ment to  regain  their  freedom.  Poor,  wretched,  starving  creatures 
some  of  them  were,  with  the  marks  of  the  lash  on  their  bodies, 
and  their  shoulders  excoriated  by  the  heavy  yoke.  They  fled, 
through  swamps  and  jungle,  to  the  only  place  of  safety — where 
the  British  flag  floated  over  Cape  Maclear — and  always  received 
the  protection  they  craved,  so  long  as  no  report  of  any  criminal 
action  was  brought  against  them.  They  would  have  fled  to 
the  Station  in  larger  numbers  still,  were  it  not  for  the  idea 
implanted  in  their  minds  by  the  Arab  that  they  would  be 
immediately  killed  and  eaten  by  the  white  man.  As  it  was, 
many  came,  despite  this  fiction,  and  not  only  received  freedom 
from  the  gori-stick  and  its  cruel  accompaniments,  but  heard  of 
something  better  still — 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  93 

"  A  liberty 

Which  monarchs  cannot  grant,  nor  all  the  powers 
Of  earth  and  hell  confederate  take  away, 
Which  whoso  tastes  can  be  enslaved  no  more — 
The  liberty  of  heart  derived  from  heaven." 

Besides  runaway  slaves,  there  were  many  in  the  Mission 
population  who  were  fugitives  from  the  cruelty  and  oppression 
of  their  chiefs  or  others.  One  morning,  for  instance,  in  August 
1878,  two  men  belonging  to  Ngoniland,  presented  themselves 
at  the  Station  asking  permission  to  live  with  the  "  English." 
One  of  them  stated  that  he  possessed  a  very  good-looking  wife, 
whom  his  chief  had  fancied  and  taken  away  from  him.  As 
he  was  very  angry  at  this,  the  chief  had  wrought  enchantments 
against  him  with  the  object  of  making  him  forget  her.  Under 
these  circumstances,  he  thought  it  best  to  put  himself  under  the 
protection  of  the  Mission.  As  he  bore  a  good  character,  accord- 
ing to  natives  who  knew  him,  and  was  prepared  to  work  steadily, 
he  was  allowed  to  remain.  The  other  man  was  an  Ngoni 
counsellor,  who  had  differed  with  his  chief  and  incurred  his 
displeasure.  Learning  from  a  private  source  that  there  was  a 
deep  plot  to  take  his  life,  he  resolved  to  flee  to  the  "  English." 
Accompanied  by  his  two  wives,  three  children,  two  brothers, 
their  wives,  and  a  sister-in-law — eleven  in  all — they  secretly  took 
their  departure.  They  walked  very  quickly  till  they  reached  the 
village  of  a  subordinate  chief,  Nunkumba,  but  as  they  were 
leaving  his  place,  a  sudden  rush  was  made  on  them,  and  with 
the  exception  of  this  man  who  managed  to  escape,  all  of  them 
were  seized. 

Numerous  examples  of  a  similar  kind  might  be  given.  Almost 
every  day  some  application  was  made  by  natives  who  were  glad  to 
escape  from  brutal  persecutors,  from  dire  oppression,  or  from  the 
evils  of  polygamy.  On  one  occasion,  in  1879,  there  were  hundreds 
of  refugees  from  Mlomba,  who  had  left  their  homes  through  dread 
of  being  forced  into  Mponda's  service  while  one  of  his  caravans 
was  passing  their  village.  They  brought  with  them  all  their 
possessions,  which  necessitated  many  days'  labour.  Much  care, 
of  course,  was  necessary  in  receiving  all  who  sought  protection, 
lest  the  Mission  settlement  should  become  a  huge  cave  of  Adullam, 
composed  largely  of  the  discontented  people  of  the  district.  It 
was  right  to  receive  persons  who  had  fled  to  escape  brutality  or 


94  DAr BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

death ;  but  sometimes  individuals  applied  who  merely  fancied  that 
they  had  a  grievance,  or  who  wished  to  escape  from  the  hands  of 
justice.  Many  a  woman  ran  away  because  she  did  not  like  her 
husband,  or  because  he  would  not  sew  her  clothes !  Careful 
enquiry  had  to  be  made  into  the  circumstances  of  all  applying  for 
admission,  so  that  no  undeserving  or  evil-disposed  individual 
might  receive  shelter.  Only  those  who  fled  from  slavery,  cruelty, 
and  injustice  were  welcomed. 

Occasionally  attempts  were  made  to  capture  and  sell  certain 
individuals  living  under  the  protection  of  the  Mission,  but  such 
audacious  ventures  were  generally  nipped  in  the  bud,  and  were 
not  allowed  to  pass  unheeded.  One  evening  in  1878,  a  young 
man  named  Kaondo,  who  lived  on  the  Station,  was  seized  and 
bound  at  an  adjoining  village,  to  which  he  had  gone  to  purchase 
food,  and  was  sold  as  a  slave  with  the  view  of  being  transported 
across  the  Lake.  Next  morning  Mr  Riddell  was  despatched  in  a 
boat  with  a  crew  of  natives  to  enquire  into  the  matter.  He  had 
not  been  long  gone  when  Kaondo  appeared  at  the  Station,  having 
during  the  night  extricated  himself  from  the  gori-stick.  He  had 
been  left  outside  a  hut,  with  his  hands  and  feet  bound  together, 
and  the  heavy  stick  on  his  neck,  but  through  dint  of  perseverance 
he  had  torn  away  the  bands  with  his  teeth  and  had  then  cut  the 
fastenings  of  the  stick  with  his  knife.  If  it  had  not  been  for  this 
timely  escape,  he  would  soon  have  found  himself  on  his  way  to 
the  coast.  Mr  Riddell  succeeded  in  tracing  the  seizure  to  a  head- 
man named  Chualo.  This  man,  on  being  charged  with  it,  was 
quite  indignant  that  he  should  be  interfered  with  for  selling  a 
slave.  Seeing,  however,  that  his  indignation  was  no  source  of 
alarm,  he  tried  to  prove  that  Kaondo  was  not  a  resident  at  the 
Station.  This  also  failed  him ;  and  ultimately  he  was  handed 
over  to  his  chief  and  counsellors,  who  were  friendly  to  the  Mission, 
that  they  might  deal  with  him.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  prompt 
action  of  the  missionaries  in  such  cases,  it  would  have  been  quite 
unsafe  for  them  to  send  natives  unprotected  to  neighbouring 
villages. 

Not  long  after  Ur  Stewart  arrived  the  work  at  Cape  Maclear 
was  interrupted  by  some  of  the  Mission  staff  being  drafted  off  to 
give  temporary  assistance  to  the  Established  Church  settlement  at 
Blantyre,  distant  150  miles.  "On  one  of  the  last  days  of 
December  1876,"  says  Dr  Stewart,  "Dr  Laws  and  myself  were 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  95 

proceeding  down  the  river  Shire  in  the  Ilala.  Towards  sunset  we 
observed  a  native  running  down  to  the  river  bank.  Though  he 
was  distant,  we  saw  that  he  carried  a  letter,  tied  in  the  fashion  of 
the  country,  within  the  split  point  of  a  long  stick.  We  had 
intended  proceeding  further,  but  moored  the  ship  to  the  bank 
near  Matope's  village.  The  note  was  from  Mr  Henderson,  very 
brief,  simply  asking  assistance  at  Blantyre."  It  turned  out  that 
the  Mission  was  in  deep  waters.  Its  situation  among  the  Shire 
Hills  was  incomparable,  having  all  the  advantages  of  the  valley 
with  all  those  of  the  mountain  combined.  It  was  cool,  breezy, 
picturesque,  healthy,  and  easily  accessible  from  the  Shire ;  and  it 
had  a  large  population  of  friendly,  teachable  people,  plenty  of 
fertile  land  and  of  good  timber  and  iron  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood,  and  a  greater  abundance  of  food  than  was  to  be 
found  at  Cape  Maclean  But  unfortunately  the  Mission  was  at 
a  standstill,  and  in  danger  of  utter  collapse.  Its  agents  had 
suffered  considerably  from  fever  and  other  distressing  circum- 
stances. Mr  Henderson,  who  had  been  sent  with  the  first  ex- 
pedition in  1875  to  pioneer  the  way,  felt  that  he  had  done  all  he 
could,  and  was  anxious  to  return  home.  Dr  Macklin,  who  went 
out  with  Dr  Stewart's  party,  was  in  delicate  health,  and  was  thus 
prevented  from  doing  many  things,  which  otherwise  he  would 
gladly  have  performed.  Through  these  and  other  causes  little 
had  been  done  for  themselves  or  the  natives,  and  as  yet  the 
Station  consisted  of  only  five  or  six  old  native  huts,  with  the  grass 
growing  up  to  the  very  doors.  The  whole  thing,  in  fact,  was 
disorganised.  There  was  no  teaching  of  the  natives,  no  plan  for 
laying  out  the  place,  no  system  of  work.  It  was  greatly  to  the 
credit  of  Mr  Henderson  that  he  saw  the  status  quo,  although  he 
felt  that  he  was  powerless  to  remedy  it. 

The  Free  Church  party  accordingly  went  to  the  rescue.  They 
could  not  stand  aloof  and  say,  "  Make  the  best  of  it  yourselves." 
They  felt  that  the  cause  of  Christianity  in  the  country  was  one, 
and  that  whatever  was  success  or  failure  to  one  mission  was 
success  or  failure  indirectly  to  the  other.  So  they  gallantly  stepped 
in,  and  agreed  to  take  charge  of  the  Station  for  a  year,  beginning 
on  ist  April  1877.  Dr  Laws  could  not  be  spared  for  such  a 
long  period,  as  he  was  the  only  one  who  had  experience  in  the 
management  of  the  Ilala,  and  any  misfortune  befalling  it  would 
have  brought  ruin  to  the  Livingstonia  Mission.  Dr  Black,  too, 


96  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

was  cut  off  about  this  time,  and  the  Free  Church  staff  was  thereby 
reduced.  Nevertheless,  it  was  well  enough  equipped  to  put  a 
crew  on  board  a  disabled  ship.  Dr  Stewart,  Dr  Laws,  artisans, 
interpreters,  and  others  went  over,  one  after  the  other,  from  Cape 
Maclear  to  assist  in  commencing  regular  systematic  work.  They 
wrought  with  as  much  energy  and  hearty  interest  as  if  it  were 
their  own  Mission,  and  speedily  gained  the  entire  confidence  and 
goodwill  of  the  natives. 

In  the  beginning  of  July,  Mr  James  Stewart,  C.E.,  F.R.G.S., 
took  the  full  charge  of  the  place.  This  engineer  missionary,  who 
was  a  cousin  of  Dr  Stewart's  and  a  "  son  of  the  manse,"  was  a  man 
of  high  Christian  character,  of  self-denying  devotion,  and  of  unique 
scientific  skill.  He  went  to  Nyasaland  from  India  in  February 
1877,  being  permitted  by  the  Government  of  India,  in  whose 
service  he  had  been,  to  spend  his  furlough  in  the  work  of  Living- 
stonia.  He  gave  his  services  free  for  some  time  to  the  Mission ; 
but  he  became  so  interested  in  the  Christianisation  of  the  Nyasa 
tribes,  and  proved  so  essential  to  the  work  carried  on,  that  at  last 
he  resigned  his  lucrative  position  in  India  to  do  regular  missionary 
work  at  Livingstonia.  This  zealous  engineer  was  the  very  Inan  to 
reconstruct  the  Blantyre  Mission,  and  build  it  up  as  it  should  be. 
His  gentleness,  his  fair  dealing,  and  his  Christian  disposition 
speedily  gained  the  esteem  of  the  surrounding  tribes.  Under  his 
guidance  the  Station  was  laid  out  in  the  form  of  a  square — 100 
yards  long  by  5  5  yards  broad — with  a  road  1 1  feet  wide  going  down 
both  sides  and  across  both  ends,  and  a  circle  of  32  feet  diameter 
in  the  centre.  Houses  were  built  on  both  sides  of  the  square  after 
the  Indian  bungalow  style,  their  dimensions  being  30  feet  by  20 
feet,  with  a  verandah  of  5  feet  all  round.  Good  roads  were  made 
from  the  Station  in  various  directions,  instead  of  the  native  paths, 
which  were  only  a  foot  broad  with  spear  grass  6  to  9  feet  high 
overhanging  and  obstructing  every  step.  A  watercourse  for  irriga- 
tion was  constructed,  and  a  permanent  stream  of  water  was  brought 
into  the  place,  while  channels  were  cut  in  several  directions,  so  that 
water  could  run  to  the  wheat,  corn,  rice,  and  maize  fields,  and  to 
the  terraces  where  the  garden  produce  was  raised — certainly  an 
"unspeakable  advantage,"  as  Dr  Macklin  said.  A  brisk  daily 
market  was  begun,  in  which  the  missionaries  bought  from  the 
natives  all  kinds  of  articles ;  and  a  school  was  opened,  and  evan- 
gelistic services  were  commenced  in  a  regular  way. 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  97 

On  1 2th  July  1878,  Mr  Stewart  handed  over  the  Station  to  the 
Established  Church's  new  agent,  the  Rev.  Duff  Macdonald,  in  a 
condition  so  improved  as  to  be  scarcely  recognisable  as  the  same 
place.  Next  month  the  Convener  of  the  Established  Church 
Committee  formally  expressed  to  Mr  Stewart  his  very  grateful 
thanks  "  for  having  put  our  Church  under  the  greatest  obligations 
for  your  eminent  services  in  the  establishment  of  our  Mission 
Station,  and  for  your  efforts  to  advance  and  strengthen  all  its 
interests.  You  now  leave  it  to  your  successor  in  health  and 
comfort  and  prosperity,  and  I  hope  you  will  see  the  many  fruits  of 
your  labours  in  the  place  with  which  your  name  will  be  long  and 
honourably  associated." 

Most  willingly  did  the  Free  Church  assist  the  Established  at  this 
time,  and  most  willingly  would  the  Established  have  done  the  same 
for  the  Free — a  beautiful  example  of  true  Christianity  and  of  the 
way  in  which  all  Foreign  Missionary  labours  should  be  carried  on. 
For  societies,  in  their  work  among  heathen  and  savages,  to  regard 
each  other  with  the  jealousies  of  rival  empires,  would  be  a  deplor- 
able folly.  Especially  would  this  be  the  case  in  Africa,  where  the 
natives  coming  in  contact  with  various  conflicting  sects,  would 
conclude  that  the  white  man  had  many  gods,  and  that  his 
customs  and  superstitions  were  as  variable  as  their  own.  Mutual 
collision  has  sometimes  happened  in  missionary  enterprise,  much 
to  the  loss  of  Christianity  and  the  degradation  of  Christ's  work. 
We  may  be  thankful,  however,  that  as  a  rule,  Churches  have 
generously  co-operated  in  the  mission-field,  nobly  overlooking 
all  minor  differences  in  the  great  struggle  to  evangelise  the 
world. 

Ever  since  its  settlement  by  the  Free  Church  the  Blantyre 
Mission  has  prospered  and  become  a  power  for  good  in  the  Shire* 
Highlands.  It  has  had  its  downs  as  well  as  its  ups.  At  one  time 
there  was  a  little  unhappy  mismanagement  of  its  affairs,  which 
however  was  soon  righted  by  the  decisive  action  of  the  General 
Assembly.  The  matter  threatened  for  a  time  to  sever  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Livingstonia  missionaries,  but  the  cloud  passed  away 
and  the  friendship  became  as  hearty  as  ever.  A  Free  Church 
missionary  has  often  gone  to  Blantyre  and  taken  the  services 
there,  and  vice  versd.  This  is  but  an  instance  of  the  hearty 
assistance  manifested  by  the  Livingstonia  missionaries  not  only 
to  Blantyre,  but  also  to  the  Universities'  Mission  now  on  the 
G 


98  DAYBREAK  IN  LIV1NGSTONIA 

east  shore  of  the  Lake,  to  the  London  Society's  Missions  at 
Tanganyika,  and  to  the  Moravian  and  Berlin  Missions  in  north 
Nyasaland. 

But  to  return  to  Cape  Maclear  and  the  progress  of  events  there. 
Mponda,  the  great  chief  of  the  district,  continued  his  friendship  to 
the  Mission,  although  he  still  engaged  in  the  atrocious  slave-traffic, 
as  he  had  opportunity,  and  kept  his  village  open  to  worthless  Arab 
dealers.  Wekotani,  his  right  hand  man,  frequently  visited  the 
Station  and  was  serviceable  in  many  ways  to  the  missionaries. 
Wekotani  had  a  chequered  history.  When  a  boy,  he  was  rescued 
from  slavery  by  Bishop  Mackenzie's  party,  and  being  a  very  smart 
boy,  he  soon  won  their  esteem.  On  the  withdrawal  of  the  Mission 
he  was  handed  over  to  Dr  Livingstone,  who  took  him  to  India, 
and  left  him  under  the  tuition  of  Rev.  Dr  Wilson,  of  Bombay. 
While  there,  he  was  baptised,  and  returned  the  following  year  to 
Central  Africa  with  Livingstone.  He  was  for  a  long  time  one  of 
the  great  explorer's  most  attached  followers,  but  he  ultimately 
settled  down  at  Mponda's  and  married.  When  the  first  expedition 
went  out  in  1875,  they  found  him  living  at  Mponda's  with  two 
wives,  and  showing  other  signs  of  his  old  heathenism.  He  was 
convenient,  however,  as  an  interpreter  there,  and  for  other  purposes 
connected  with  the  Mission,  although  he  continued  to  live  as  his 
heathen  neighbours,  and  had  sometimes  to  be  sharply  rebuked  for 
his  conduct.  Surrounded  as  he  was  by  a  seething  mass  of  super- 
stition and  barbarism,  and  away  from  the  constant  influence  of  the 
Mission,  who  can  wonder  that  he  forgot  much  of  his  early  training  ? 
There  are  reeds  which  in  a  calm  stand  bolt  upright,  and  seem  stiff 
and  strong,  but  they  bend  and  sometimes  break  when  the  tempest 
falls  upon  them. 

Yet  this  man  showed  some  fruits  of  missionary  teaching.  An 
incident  in  this  connection  which  took  place  while  Mr  Young  was 
waiting  at  Matiti  for  Dr  Stewart's  party,  deserves  to  be  quoted. 
"  At  night,"  says  Mr  Young,  "  strange  sounds  came  to  my  ears. 
I  listened,  and  distinctly  made  out  the  air  of  some  well-known 
music.  I  called  to  Wekotani,-  who  lay  in  the  next  hut,  and  asked 
him  who  it  was  singing :  he  replied  that  it  was  he.  On  telling 
him  to  repeat  it,  I  found  that  it  was  one  of  the  chants  used  by 
the  missionaries  sixteen  years  ago  on  the  hills  at  Magomero. 
Remembering  how  much  pains  Dr  Livingstone  had  taken  with 
him,  and  good  Dr  Wilson  too,  I  asked  him  if  he  remembered 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  99 

anything  of  his  former  days.  He  said,  '  This  is  what  Dr  Living- 
stone taught  me : 

This  night  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 
And  give  my  soul  to  Christ  to  keep. 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake 
I  pray  to  God  my  soul  to  take.     Amen.' 

In  the  long  interval  since  he  had  seen  white  men,  he  had  forgotten 
nearly  all  the  English  he  ever  knew ;  but  these  lines,  together  with 
some  few  simple  questions  and  answers  taught  him  by  Dr  Wilson, 
he  could  repeat."  * 

The  missionaries  were  much  assisted  in  their  work  by  a  man 
named  Chimlolo,  who  had  been  acquainted  with  Rev.  Horace 
Waller  in  the  days  of  the  Universities'  Mission  at  Magomero,  and 
who  now  came  all  the  way  from  the  Yao  Highlands  on  hearing 
of  the  arrival  of  the  "English."  He  ultimately  settled  down 
beside  them,  and  became  headman  of  a  native  village  at  Cape 
Maclear,  at  the  same  time  doing  all  in  his  power  to  further  the 
best  interests  of  the  Mission.  Unhappily,  while  on  his  first  visit 
to  the  Station,  his  Highland  home  was  raided  by  the  Ngoni,  and 
two  sons  and  a  daughter  were  carried  away  captive.  No  trace 
could  be  found  of  them  until  a  year  or  two  afterwards,  when  a 
missionary  expedition  visited  South  Ngoniland.  It  was  then 
learned  that  the  daughter  was  there,  although  on  the  approach  of 
the  party  she  and  other  slaves  had  been  hurried  away  to  a  distant 
village.  Chikusi,  the  powerful  chief  of  the  district,  was  asked  to 
restore  her.  He,  poor  fellow,  seems  to  have  thought  that  his  day 
of  retribution  was  at  hand,  and,  thankful  to  propitiate  the  white 
men,  he  brought  her  with  all  possible  despatch.  The  fate  of  the 
brothers  may  be  briefly  told.  One  of  them,  unable  to  keep  pace 
with  the  returning  raiders,  had  his  skull  broken  with  a  club,  and 
his  corpse  was  left  lying  on  the  wilds.  The  other,  after  living  in 
Ngoniland  for  some  time,  was  stabbed  through  with  an  assegai, 
and  his  body  thrown  out  to  the  hyenas.  It  is  truly  a  harrowing 
story,  but  it  is  only  an  instance  of  the  bloodthirsty  cruelty  that 
was  constantly  taking  place  in  this  land  of  darkness  and  savagery. 
We  need  not  be  surprised  that  Chimlolo  became  a  faithful  friend 
to  the  missionaries,  and  made  himself  useful  to  them  in  many 
ways. 

*  "  Mission  to  Nyasa,"  p.  184. 


ioo  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

We  mentioned  that  Dr  Stewart  took  with  him  four  Kafir 
evangelists  from  Lovedale.  These  evangelists  were  of  immense 
assistance  in  almost  everything  undertaken  by  the  Mission,  especi- 
ally William  Koyi,  who  was  a  most  devoted,  conscientious,  and 
trustworthy  man.  In  some  respects,  such  as  a  knowledge  of 
colonial  agriculture  and  native  methods  of  work,  they  were  superior 
to  white  artisans.  They  had,  moreover,  the  great  advantage  of 
knowing  the  structure  of  the  Lake  languages,  which  was  the  same 
as  their  native  Kafir,  the  vocables  in  many  instances  being 
identical,  and  many  of  the  differences  consisting  simply  in  the 
change  of  a  letter  or  two.  In  speaking,  also,  they  thought  in  the 
same  way  as  the  tribes  around  Nyasa,  and  knew  many  of  their 
expressions,  so  that,  when  they  were  at  a  loss  for  a  word,  they 
could  supply  a  Kafir  one  of  their  own,  which  might  after  all  be 
very  similar  to  the  unknown  one,  if  not  identical  with  it ;  and  in 
this  way  they  early  took  the  lead  so  far  as  speaking  the  language 
was  concerned.  Of  the  four,  William  Koyi  had  undoubtedly  the 
most  attractive  character.  He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  of 
cool  courage,  of  unselfish  disposition,  and  entirely  devoid  of 
anything  like  self-esteem.  When  he  offered  himself  for  the 
Livingstonia  Mission  he  said,  "I  am  willing  to  go  in  any  way  I 
can  be  useful,  even  as  a  hewer  of  wood  or  a  drawer  of  water." 
He  proved  to  be  a  man  in  whom  the  Mission  could  always  place 
thorough  reliance,  even  in  moments  of  danger  and  darkness.  He 
was  specially  helpful  among  the  savage  Ngoni  tribe;  and  Dr 
Elmslie,  who  knew  his  work  best  among  this  tribe,  says  that  "  no 
white  man  would  have  degraded  himself  if  he  had  taken  off  his 
hat  to  him."  Shadrach  Ngunana,  another  of  these  four  Kafirs, 
was  a  convert  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Mission  in  South  Africa, 
and  the  Mission  Board  of  that  Church  agreed  to  support  him,  as 
they  had  generously  done  in  the  case  of  Dr  Laws.  Of  the 
remaining  two,  Isaac  Williams  Wauchope,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society's  Church  at  Uitenhage,  unfortun- 
ately never  reached  the  field  in  a  condition  fit  for  work,  and 
was  soon  obliged  to  return  through  ill-health  and  other  reasons, 
while  Mapas  Ntintili  also  returned  to  South  Africa  after  a 
while. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  describe  in  this  chapter 
the  evangelistic,  educational,  and  other  work  carried  on  by  the 
Mission  in  these  early  years,  as  this  will  be  done  in  another 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  101 

chapter.  But  a  brief  reference  may  here  be  made  to  the  evangel- 
istic department.  The  natives  not  only  around  the  Station,  but 
in  distant  villages,  were  willing  to  listen  to  the  Gospel.  They 
gathered  to  the  schoolroom  on  the  Station  at  regular  times,  where 
the  missionaries  unfolded  to  them  the  great  truths  of  Revelation, 
and  sought  to  lead  them  to  the  knowledge  of  a  Saviour.  Not 
only  so,  but  the  missionaries  braved  the  dangers  of  the  Lake,  that 
they  might  visit  villages  south,  west,  and  east  of  Cape  Maclear. 
They  wandered  on  foot  through  swampy  plains,  and  crossed 
adjoining  heights  again  and  again.  They  pierced  every  valley  for 
miles  around — wherever  they  could  find  a  village  willing  to  listen 
to  the  Gospel.  And  wherever  they  went,  they  had  the  same 
simple  story  to  tell.  The  natives  had  peopled  the  world,  the 
Lake,  the  rocks,  the  trees — everything  with  spirits,  of  whom  they 
lived  in  constant  dread.  The  missionaries  told  them  of  the  great 
and  good  Spirit,  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  how  He  so 
loved  the  world  as  to  give  His  Son  to  death. 

The  Mission  Station  at  Cape  Maclear  was  another  lona,  although 
on  a  smaller  scale  and  without  its  attendant  evils.  That  island 
became,  as  Dr  Johnson  says,  "the  luminary  of  the  Caledonian 
regions,  whence  savage  clans  and  roving  barbarians  derived  the 
blessings  of  religion."  It  was  the  centre  of  a  great  missionary 
work,  exhibiting  the  Christian  life  in  contrast  with  the  surrounding 
Paganism.  From  it  Columba  and  his  band  went  out  on  many 
evangelistic  tours  till  the  kingdom  of  the  northern  Picts  was 
brought  over  to  the  Christian  faith,  and  the  fortunes  of  the  Scottish 
race  were  revived.  So  Cape  Maclear,  with  its  Mission  Station  and 
native  village  nestling  around  it,  manifested  a  powerful  influence 
for  good  upon  the  surrounding  heathen.  In  addition  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel,  there  were  kind  words  and  charitable 
deeds,  an  awakening  of  the  moral  life,  and  an  exhibition  of 
Christianity  in  the  matters  of  daily  life.  The  Mission  village  was 
like  a  healing  branch  cast  into  the  bitter,  stagnant  waters  of 
heathendom. 

In  all  their  work,  however — especially  the  secular  part  of  it — 
the  missionaries  had  manifold  trials.  Whether  they  would  or  not, 
they  found  themselves  in  the  midst  of  many  perplexing  questions, 
which  have  since  been  swept  away  through  the  inclusion  of  the 
country  in  British  territory.  Among  other  things,  there  was 
absolutely  no  settled  or  recognised  Government,  such  as  existed 


loz  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

in  South  Africa,  and  consequently  there  was  no  proper  means  by 
which  civil  offences  could  be  redressed.  This  was  an  immense 
difficulty  to  the  missionaries,  and  caused  them  no  end  of  anxiety, 
for  many  of  the  natives  were  great  thieves  and  rogues,  to  say 
nothing  of  other  elements  in  their  character.  In  1877,  one  of  the 
Makololo  lads,  named  Sendea,  who  had  several  times  been  con- 
victed of  robbery,  decamped  from  the  Mission  Station  with  an 
immense  amount  of  property  belonging  to  the  missionaries  and 
others,  including  clothes,  tools,  cooking  utensils,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  valuable  cloth.  The  African  Lakes  Company  in 
connection  with  the  Mission  had  scarcely  started  work  when  nine 
trusses  of  calico,  a  bale  of  coloured  cloth,  and  several  boxes  of 
valuable  articles  were  stolen.  It  was  the  same  at  Blantyre. 
"One  night,"  says  a  missionary  there,  "thieves  broke  into  our 
house,  and  took  everything  that  was  of  value  to  them.  Most  of 
our  goods  they  carried  outside  and  spread  before  the  window. 
Then  they  selected  everything  that  was  made  of  cloth.  Many 
things  that  we  could  hardly  have  done  without,  such  as  waterproof, 
&c.,  they  fortunately  left.  Books  also  escaped,  while  they  carefully 
placed  some  silver  articles  off  the  table,  in  order  that  they  might 
carry  off  the  table-cloth.  Anything  that  has  the  appearance  of 
'  calico '  at  once  appeals  to  the  natives'  cupidity."  * 

When  such  thefts  happened  at  Cape  Maclear,  as  they  constantly 
did,  or  when  the  store  or  the  houses  of  the  Mission  residenters 
were  broken  into  and  valuable  articles  carried  off,  or  when  slaves 
were  kidnapped  from  the  Mission,  or  assaults  of  a  deep  criminal 
kind  committed,  or  quarrelsome  disputes  brought  for  settlement, 
the  missionaries  could  not  forcibly  interfere,  or  mete  out  the 
punishment  required  in  a  civilised  country.  If  there  had  been 
any  authoritative  person  to  do  so  the  difficulty  would  have  been 
removed.  But  there  was  no  one ;  and  the  missionaries  themselves 
could  not  do  it,  for  to  undertake  the  civil  administration  of  the 
district,  or  to  make  the  Mission  Station  the  nucleus  of  a  State 
would  have  been  inconsistent  with  true  missionary  objects,  and 
detrimental  to  the  work  of  teaching  and  preaching.  The  instruc- 
tions for  their  direction,  prepared  carefully  at  the  commencement 
of  the  Mission,  forbade  in  the  most  peremptory  terms  the  employ- 
ment of  any  weapons,  or  the  assumption  of  any  authority  in  the 
least  inconsistent  with  the  Christian  objects  of  the  Mission  and  the 
*  "Africana,"  by  Rev.  Duff  Macdonald,  vol.  ii.  p.  131. 


REINFORCEMENTS  AND  PROGRESS  103 

benevolent  spirit  of  the  Gospel.  The  missionaries  were  enjoined 
to  rely  upon  the  conjoint  power  of  love  and  truth,  and  only  in  the 
last  extremity  to  make  use  of  physical  force.  They  were  careful 
also  to  make  known  their  position  to  the  natives,  and  to  disclaim 
any  desire  to  act  as  rulers,  or  to  be  considered  as  such. 

When,  therefore,  any  serious  case  arose,  affecting  the  work  of 
the  Mission,  and  demanding  Christian  interference,  all  that  could 
properly  be  done,  and  was  generally  done  under  the  circumstances, 
was  to  arrange,  as  Dr  Stewart  suggested,  for  the  offending  person 
being  handed  over  to  his  own  chief  if  he  had  any,  or  deported 
out  of  the  district,  if  he  had  none,  although  the  former  was  not 
always  easy  and  the  latter  was  somewhat  dangerous,  for  the  de- 
ported individual  might  at  any  time  instigate  a  tribe  or  tribes 
against  the  Mission.  The  whole  question  was  one  which  caused 
the  missionaries  many  a  sleepless  hour,  and  they  very  often  pre- 
ferred to  endure  offence  and  outrage  than  take  any  measures  to 
secure  reparation,  thus  following  in  the  footsteps  of  Dr  Livingstone 
and  other  Christian  explorers  in  Africa. 

Sometimes  the  chiefs  or  the  headmen  did  not  deal  properly 
with  cases  referred  to  them.  They  had  little  sense  of  right  or 
wrong,  and  could  not  always  be  trusted  to  act  impartially.  If  a 
man  were  accused  of  theft  or  a  more  serious  offence,  he  would 
obtain  hundreds  of  his  friends  prepared  to  prove  anything  that  was 
wanted,  and,  to  crown  all,  they  would  attend  the  trial  "  armed  to 
the  teeth."  In  such  circumstances  the  chief  would  usually  become 
a  partisan  in  spite  of  all  evidence.  The  missionaries  were  thus 
placed  in  a  dilemma :  they  could  not  exercise  civil  jurisdiction 
over  the  people  themselves,  as  this  would  be  assuming  a  responsi- 
bility outside  of  their  legitimate  sphere,  nor  could  they  trust 
every  case  to  the  biased  opinions  of  a  chief  or  his  headmen.  It 
was  a  very  perplexing  matter,  which  could  only  be  settled  by  some 
person  of  authority.  The  Committee  at  home  had  several  com- 
munications with  the  Foreign  Office  in  regard  to  it ;  but  it  was  not 
until  1883,  when  the  Government  appointed  a  Consul  in  Nyasa- 
land — Captain  Foot,  R.N. — that  the  difficulty  came  nearer  solution. 
At  last  the  establishment  of  a  British  Protectorate  and  the  settle- 
ment of  a  Commissioner  in  the  district  removed  all  perplexities  of 
this  kind,  and  now  ideas  of  British  law,  polity,  and  justice  are 
slowly  but  surely  permeating  the  land.  British  Central  Africa  will 
soon  be  a  nation  trained  in  the  arts  of  government  and  the  ad- 


io4  DAr 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

ministration  of  justice.  With  Christianity  also  dwelling  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people,  it  will  then  be  a  potent  factor  in  the  world's 
history — potent  for  righteousness,  goodness,  and  truth. 

Dr  Stewart  could  not  remain  long  away  from  his  old  sphere  at 
Lovedale.  He  left  the  Livingstonia  Mission  in  December  1877, 
having  given  his  valuable  services  to  it  for  seventeen  months,  and 
returned  to  the  Institution,  where  he  was  so  much  needed.  His 
place  as  leader  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission  was  taken  by  Dr  Laws, 
assisted  for  two  or  three  years  by  Mr  James  Stewart.  In  this 
position  Dr  Laws  has  continued  ever  since.  He  has  shown 
remarkable  abilities,  and  was  described  some  time  ago  by  the 
British  Commissioner  as  "  the  greatest  man  who  has  yet  appeared 
in  Nyasaland."  How  true  it  is  that  when  special  work  requires  to 
be  done  God  raises  up  men  specially  fitted  for  it !  He  trained 
and  prepared  Luther,  Calvin,  and  Knox  to  bring  in  the  Reforma- 
tion. He  used  Dr  Andrew  Thomson,  Dr  Chalmers,  and  others  to 
bring  new  spiritual  life  to  Scotland  by  the  Disruption.  And  so,  when 
special  work  was  required  to  be  done  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission 
— work  of  extension  and  organisation — God's  special  instrument 
for  this  purpose  was  Dr  Laws.  He  has  certainly  proved  himself 
equal  in  every  way  to  his  position  of  responsibility.  He  is,  without 
doubt,  a  man 

"whose  heart  is  warm, 

Whose  hands  are  pure,  whose  doctrine  and  whose  life 

Coincident,  exhibit  lucid  proof 

That  he  is  honest  in  the  sacred  cause." 

His  wisdom,  his  energy,  his  tact,  and  his  devotion  to  duty  are 
unparalleled.  That  he  may  long  be  spared  to  continue  the  glorious 
work  of  evangelising  the  tribes  of  Central  Africa  is  the  earnest 
prayer  of  all  who  know  anything  about  his  past  achievements. 


DR  LAWS. 
From  a  Photograph  by  W.  B.  Anderson,  Aberdeen. 


CHAPTER  VII 
EARLY  MISSIONARY  EXPLORATION 

MUCH  more  required  to  be  done  before  the  work  could  become 
effective  throughout  Nyasaland.  The  whole  region  around  the 
Lake  had  to  be  opened  up  by  missionary  exploration  before  the 
Gospel  could  be  carried  to  all  parts.  Certainly,  the  main  object 
of  the  Mission  was  by  no  means  of  a  scientific,  commercial,  or 
exploring  kind.  The  grand,  leading  idea,  kept  ever  in  the  forefront 
by  all  the  members,  was  to  bring  the  Gospel  of  grace  and  salvation 
to  the  benighted  sons  and  daughters  of  the  country.  But,  while 
this  was  so,  it  was  necessary  to  make  an  investigation  of  the  Lake 
and  the  regions  round  about,  upon  the  principle  laid  down  by  the 
illustrious  Livingstone,  that  "the  end  of  the  geographical  feat  is 
the  beginning  of  the  missionary  enterprise."  It  must  be  re- 
membered that  until  the  missionaries  went  nothing  was  really 
known  about  the  Lake  or  the  district,  except  what  had  been 
gathered  by  Livingstone  and  Mr  Young  many  years  before.  Their 
notes  and  observations,  although  wonderfully  accurate,  did  not 
amount  to  much.  They  were  only  fragmentary,  something  like 
what  might  be  written  of  our  own  country  by  a  traveller  who  had 
crossed  it  two  or  three  times,  and  walked  along  part  of  its  shores. 
Now  that  missionary  work  was  to  be  carried  on  all  around,  it  was 
necessary  to  have  a  better  and  more  satisfactory  knowledge. 

Hence,  from  the  very  commencement  of  the  Mission,  a  few  of 
the  party  directed  their  attention  at  times  to  this  important  work. 
Readers  will  understand  the  difficulty  of  it,  when  they  remember 
that  the  Lake  itself  is  not  the  size  of  a  Scottish  loch,  but  an 
immense  sea  longer  than  Scotland,  and  at  some  places  forty  miles 
broad — a  sea,  too,  which  sometimes  becomes  as  rough  as  any  sea 
in  existence. 

About  a  month  after  the  first  expedition  arrived,  when  the  goods 
had  been  stored  and  everything  was  in  perfect  safety,  Mr  Young 
made  a  circumnavigation  of  the  Lake  in  the  7/a/a,  being  anxious 


106  SAY  BREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

to  acquaint  the  people  with  the  objects  of  the  Mission,  as  well  as 
to  finish  the  survey  which  Dr  Livingstone  was  unable  to  accomplish 
in  a  small  boat.  He  took  with  him  Dr  Laws,  and  one  or  two 
others,  leaving  Messrs  Johnston,  Simpson,  and  Riddell  in  charge 
of  the  Station.  He  went  up  the  east  side  and  returned  by  the 
west,  visiting  all  the  principal  chiefs.  In  this  long  voyage — 
occupying  twenty-four  days — he  discovered  the  island  of  Likoma 
and  the  adjacent  group,  Mount  Waller  (which  was  so  named  after 
the  Rev.  Horace  Waller),  the  Livingstone  mountains,  and  other 
geographical  features.*  To  him  belongs  the  honour  of  discovering 
the  important  fact  that  this  inland  sea  extends  nearly  150  miles 
further  north  than  Dr  Livingstone  had  calculated.  In  Sir  Harry 
H.  Johnston's  historical  account  of  British  Central  Africa  this 
discovery,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Livingstone  mountains,  is  in- 
correctly put  down  to  the  exploration  of  Captain  Elton,  H.B.M. 
Consul  at  Mozambique,  f  The  fact  is  that  these  features  were 
well  known  to  the  missionaries  nearly  two  years  before  Consul 
Elton  visited  the  Lake. 

While  passing  down  the  west  coast  they  became  enveloped  in  a 
dense  mass  of  "Kungu"  flies,  which  rose  from  the  water  like  a  thick 
grey  mist.  These  minute  silvery  flies — mentioned  by  Livingstone 
— sometimes  congregate  on  the  Lake  in  such  enormous  numbers 
that  the  deck  of  a  vessel  becomes  coated  over  as  if  by  a  fall  of 
snow,  while  the  sun  is  almost  obscured  and  the  scenery  is  hidden 
from  view.  The  natives  catch  them  and  consume  them  for  food. 
They  hang  up  mats  for  them  to  fly  against,  and  they  sweep  them 
off  into  baskets,  crush  them  into  oily  cakes,  roast  them,  and  eat 
them  with  great  gusto,  as  they  do  the  flying  white  ants,  beetle 
grubs,  caterpillars,  and  locusts. 

A  good  deal  of  exploring  work  was  done  by  Mr  Cotterill — the 
merchant  who  accompanied  the  second  expedition.  He  made 
the  Mission  Station  his  headquarters,  from  which  he  went  on 
several  journeys  both  by  land  and  sea.  Sometimes  he  assisted 
the  missionaries  in  their  daily  duties,  occasionally  acting  as  school- 
master or  conducting  the  native  meetings,  a  work  which  he  seems 
to  have  done  well,  being  a  delightful  speaker — profound,  interest- 
ing, and  sound.  But  not  being  on  the  Livingstonia  staff,  his  time 

*  The  names  "  Mount  Waller,"  "  Livingstone  Mountains,"  and  others,  were 
proposed  by  Dr  Laws. 

t  "  British  Central  Africa,"  p.  67. 


EARLT  MISSIONARY  EXPLORATION  107 

was  generally  spent  in  exploratory  journeys  with  the  view  of 
opening  up  the  country  to  commerce.  He  had  many  remarkable 
experiences.  In  June  and  July  1877,  he  ascended  the  west  shore 
of  the  Lake  in  his  little  sailing  boat,  the  JFferga,  along  with  Mr 
Mackay  of  the  Blantyre  Mission  and  two  or  three  others.  He 
intended,  if  possible,  to  reach  the  north  end  of  the  Lake ;  but  at 
Mankambira's  one  stormy  night  the  boat  dragged  her  anchor  two 
miles  and  a  half,  and  was  driven  ashore.  The  little  dingy  broke 
loose  and  was  smashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks.  The  whole  party 
had  to  jump  overboard  in  the  darkness  in  a  very  wild  sea,  but 
succeeded  in  effecting  a  safe  landing.  Morning  disclosed  that  the 
Herga  was  uninjured,  but  everything  was  washed  overboard  and 
irrecoverably  lost — bales  of  calico,  chart,  sextant,  medicine  chest, 
and  all  Mr  Cotterill's  journals  and  personal  gear.  Mr  Mackay,  as 
a  result,  took  severe  rheumatic  fever,  and  lay  suffering  in  the  boat 
for  twelve  days  before  they  reached  Cape  Maclear  again.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  was  almost  unable  to  move,  and  had  to  be 
carried  up  from  the  boat  to  the  house.  He  never  recovered  his 
strength  and  died  on  August  24th. 

In  September  and  October  1877,  a  second  remarkable  circum- 
navigation of  the  Lake  was  carried  through  by  Dr  Stewart  and  Dr 
Laws,  with  the  object  of  becoming  more  acquainted  with  the 
various  chiefs  and  people.  They  were  accompanied  by  Consul 
Elton,  Mr  Cotterill,  and  others,  whom  they  were  to  convey  to  the 
north  end  of  the  Lake,  and  thus  aid  them  so  far  on  a  journey 
which  they  contemplated  extending  overland  to  Dar-es-Salaam  on 
the  east  coast.*  They  were  also  to  have  the  services  of  the 
Consul  in  putting  down  slavery  on  the  Lake.  Including  some 
interpreters,  there  were  twenty-eight  in  all  on  board  the  little 
steamer,  along  with  provisions,  tents,  baggage,  calico,  wood  for 
fuel,  and  other  cargo.  As  there  was  not  sleeping  accommodation 
for  so  many  on  board,  some  had  to  land  every  night  when  at  all 
practicable. 

The  first  place  they  touched  at  was  Mpemba's,  on  the  west 
coast,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Lintippe.  As  already  mentioned, 
this  chief — one  of  the  most  determined  slave  dealers  on  the  Lake 
— had  shown  little  regard  for  the  missionaries,  and  had  acted  in 
a  very  unfriendly  way  to  them.  The  missionaries  had  still  in  their 
possession  a  spear  which  he  had  thrown  at  one  of  them.  He  was 
*  Consul  Elton  unfortunately  succumbed  to  the  fatigues  of  this  journey. 


io8  DAT 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

unfortunately  absent  on  this  occasion,  having  gone  to  Kilimane 
with  slaves;  but  Dr  Laws  and  his  party  were  able  to  show  in 
some  measure  at  least  that  they  were  not  hostile  to  him,  and  to 
clear  away  any  fears  that  he  might  have  regarding  them — a  matter 
in  which  they  were  successful,  for  shortly  after  his  return  he  sent 
a  messenger  to  the  Mission  Station  with  a  tusk  of  ivory  and  a  sheep 
as  a  present,  and  intimated  that  he  wished  to  become  friendly. 

After  leaving  Mpemba's,  they  experienced  a  terrific  gale.  The 
Ilalds  anchors  dragged,  and  as  there  were  rocks  in  the  vicinity, 
they  had  to  slip  their  cables  and  run  to  sea,  where  they  had  a 
wild  night.  The  following  afternoon,  however,  they  managed  to 
reach  Kota-Kota  about  seventy  miles  north  of  Mpemba's.  Here 
was  Jumbe's  town.  This  man  Jumbe,  who  had  died  a  year  or  two 
before,  was  a  coast  Arab,  and  a  representative  or  wall  of  the 
Sultan  of  Zanzibar.  He  had  been  the  greatest  Mahommedan 
chief  on  the  Lake,  and  of  sufficiently  good  standing  to  exercise 
some  authority  over  all  the  other  Arabs  in  Nyasaland.  He  was 
now  succeeded  by  a  headman  under  Mankambira.  Dr  Stewart 
explained  to  this  new  "  Jumbe "  or  headman,  as  he  did  to  every 
other  chief,  that  the  missionaries  had  entered  the  country  as 
"teachers,"  and  offered  to  take  charge  of  any  children  he  might 
wish  to  be  taught.  To  this  proposal  Jumbe  at  once  gave  a 
decided  refusal,  although  he  promised  to  act  in  a  friendly  way 
towards  the  Mission.  After  making  him  a  present  of  several 
blankets,  dresses,  and  other  articles,  they  crossed  the  Lake  to  its 
eastern  side,  where  they  visited  Losewa  and  Chitesi,  establishing 
friendly  relations  at  each  of  these  places.  The  village  of  Losewa 
was  interesting  to  them  as  being  the  landing-place  for  cargoes  of 
slaves  ferried  across  from  Kota-Kota.  Chitesi  they  found  to  be  a 
sharp,  clever,  covetous  specimen  of  a  Nyasa  chief.  After  leaving 
him  a  fine  present,  they  hurried  away,  but  only  to  be  followed  by 
his  brother-in-law.  "This  man  brought  a  fat  ox,"  says  Consul 
Elton,  "  and  said  he  was  charged  to  tell  me  that  Chitesi  was  much 
pleased  with  the  present,  but,  as  the  wearing  of  gorgeous  blankets 
was  his  prerogative,  he  was  puzzled  what  to  do  with  five,  and 
wished  therefore  for  '  some  blue  and  white  cloth  for  his  wives ; 
some  medicine  for  fulness  of  the  head  and  for  fulness  of  the  belly ; 
medicine  to  keep  off  war  from  his  people  until  such  time  as  the 
English  should  return ;  medicine  to  prevent  his  being  shot  in  the 
back  (assassinated);  a  little  gunpowder;  a  few  flints;  a  cup, 


EARLY  MISSION  ART  EXPLORATION  109 

plate,  and  knife,  such  as  we  were  in  the  habit  of  using.'  With  Dr 
Stewart's  kind  aid,  always  readily  given,  I  succeeded  in  making 
him  up  a  parcel  of  medicine,  knives,  cups,  etc.,  adding  thereto  a 
lot  of  blue  and  white  cloth  ;  and  explained  that  whoever  professed 
to  be  able  to  supply  the  medicines  required  against  war  and 
assassination  must  be  set  down  as  impostors."  * 

This  idea  that  the  missionary  had  medicine  for  war,  medicine  for 
rain,  medicine  for  good  marksmanship,  and  in  short  for  everything 
under  the  sun,  was  a  very  prevalent  and  deep-rooted  one.  Many 
of  the  natives  looked  upon  him  as  a  kind  of  demigod,  having  every 
kind  of  charm  in  his  possession,  and  able  to  do  anything.  It  was 
like  the  superstition  which  they  had  regarding  the  revolver — the 
white  man's  weapon,  as  they  called  it — the  popular  opinion  being 
that  it  required  no  loading  and  could  discharge  any  number  of 
bullets  by  simply  pulling  the  trigger.  The  Mission  and  the  British 
administration  have  done  their  best  to  eradicate  such  beliefs,  and 
prevent  unscrupulous  adventurers  taking  advantage  of  them. 

They  next  pushed  onward  to  the  north  end  of  the  Lake,  where 
they  discovered  an  inlet,  up  which  they  steamed  for  two  miles. 
Their  unceremonious  arrival  at  this  place,  with  the  noise  of  the 
steamer  and  the  live  sparks  blowing  out  of  the  funnel,  took  the 
people  by  surprise,  and  caused  no  small  consternation,  a  fact  not 
to  be  wondered  at,  for  never  certainly  during  the  people's  own  ex- 
perience or  that  of  their  forefathers  had  such  a  strange-looking 
object  as  a  steamer  ever  entered  the  quiet  inlet.  At  first  the 
terrified  natives  could  scarcely  be  induced  to  approach  near  enough 
to  be  spoken  to ;  and  when  they  did  venture,  each  man  carried 
several  spears  which  were  rather  formidable  weapons,  as  they  were 
dangerously  barbed.  The  men  wore  not  a  vestige  of  clothing,  and 
many  of  them  had  their  bodies  hideously  smeared  with  all  colours 
of  paint,  giving  them  a  fiendish  appearance.  After  a  little  talk 
they  became  friendly,  and  the  chief  accepted  a  present  of  blankets 
and  cloth.  One  dozen  toy  finger-rings  was  in  the  bundle,  and  Dr 
Laws  tells  us  "  it  was  rather  amusing,  yet  sad,  to  see  the  childish- 
ness displayed,  as  he  fitted  all  these  on  his  fingers." 

On  steaming  south  again,  and  passing  Nkata  Bay,  they  saw  three 
men  standing  on  the  shore.  Dr  Stewart  went  off  to  meet  them, 
and  induced  them  to  venture  on  board  the  steamer,  so  as  to  point 
out  Mankambira's  village.  The  same  day  they  found  themselves 
*  "  Lakes  and  Mountains  of  Africa,"  by  J.  Frederic  Elton,  F.R.G.S.,  p.  303. 


no  DA? 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

in  front  of  it,  with  a  crowd  of  several  thousands  gathered  on  the 
sands  to  watch  the  steamer  approaching.  They  found  Mankambira, 
who  was  an  old  slaver,  in  his  dotage,  sitting  surrounded  by  his 
headmen.  He  poured  out  a  complaint  regarding  the  Ngoni 
warriors  to  the  west  of  the  Lake,  who  were  making  continual  raids 
upon  him,  and,  like  other  chiefs,  he  was  anxious  for  a  supply  of 
"  war  medicine "  to  destroy  his  foes.  Nothing  would  convince 
him  that  the  missionaries  could  not  give  it.  "  It  became  tiresome," 
says  Dr  Laws,  "  after  explaining  and  reasoning  with  him,  to  find 
that  superstition  had  such  a  hold  of  his  mind  as  to  make  it 
apparently  impossible  to  make  any  way  in  overcoming  it." 

At  Mankambira's,  Dr  Stewart  left  the  ship  for  the  purpose  of 
making  an  exploratory  journey  southward  on  foot.  In  this  journey 
he  traversed  100  miles  of  latitude,  and  was  taken  on  board  the 
steamer  again  at  Kota-Kota.  The  whole  party  reached  Cape 
Maclear  in  safety,  having  been  absent  about  two  months. 

Afterwards  much  of  this  pioneering  work  of  exploration  was 
undertaken  and  successfully  accomplished  by  Mr  James  Stewart, 
C.E.  This  hard-working  missionary  did  excellent  service  to  the 
Free  Church  of  Scotland  and  to  science  by  his  discoveries.  In 
1878,  in  company  with  Dr  Laws,  he  surveyed  about  800  miles  of 
the  coast-line  of  the  Lake,  and  journeyed  to  the  hill  country 
beyond,  discovering  many  new  features,  and  bringing  to  light 
several  strange  and  unknown  tribes.  A  narrative  of  the  expedi- 
tion, along  with  a  valuable  map,  was  published  by  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society.  In  1879  he  made  a  remarkable  journey, 
exploring  and  mapping  the  fine  plateau,  about  210  miles  long, 
between  Lake  Nyasa  and  Lake  Tanganyika.  By  1882  he  had 
completed  a  survey  of  the  whole  Nyasa  district,  which  was 
published  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society 
for  December  1883.  His  explorations  showed  that  there  existed 
rich  sources  of  industry  in  Nyasaland,  and  that  instead  of  being  a 
desert  country,  inhabited,  as  many  thought,  only  by  wild  beasts,  it 
had  numerous  villages  or  towns,  some  with  a  population  of  about 
10,000. 

If  we  only  remember  that  all  these  journeys  round  the  Lake  and 
exploration  of  adjacent  regions  were  made  in  order  to  pioneer  the 
way  for  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  we  shall  realise  the  great 
value  of  them  to  the  Mission.  It  was  in  this  way  that  the 
missionaries  not  only  found  where  the  centres  of  population  lay, 


EARL  Y  MISS  ION AR  Y  EXPLORATION  1 1 1 

but  came  in  contact  with  the  people,  and  had  an  opportunity  of 
acquainting  them  with  the  object  of  the  Mission,  and  of  gaining 
their  confidence.  The  Gospel  of  Christ — the  only  remedy  for  en- 
slaved Africa — could  only  be  carried  where  exploration  and  kindly 
dealing  had  first  opened  the  way.  A  good  illustration  may  easily  be 
given.  In  1875,  at  a  village  within  sight  of  Nkata  Bay,  Dr  Laws 
was  kept  as  a  hostage,  while  the  headman  went  off  with  Mr  Young 
to  see  the  Ilala.  The  people  manifested  an  unusual  amount  of 
suspicion  and  fear,  but  were  treated  with  every  courtesy  and  kind- 
ness. Three  years  afterwards,  at  the  same  place,  the  Ilala  arrived 
one  afternoon,  and  the  following  morning  forty  men,  women,  and 
children  started  to  the  hills  with  Dr  Laws,  carrying  his  goods  and 
stores  for  him,  and  manifesting  implicit  confidence  in  him.  This 
would  not  have  happened  without  his  previous  visit  of  introduction 
to  the  people. 

It  was  important  that  in  the  settlement  of  the  Mission,  meteoro- 
logical and  medical  observations  should  not  be  neglected,  seeing 
that  very  much  might  depend  upon  them.  Consequently  they 
were  carefully  attended  to.  Valuable  notes  have  thus  been  taken 
extending  over  several  years. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

EARLY  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK 

WE  have  said  that  it  was  resolved  to  make  the  Mission  wide  in  its 
operation.  This  was  a  wise  resolution,  for  every  mission,  if  it  is 
to  be  successful,  must  eschew  narrowness  and  one-sideness. 

This  Mission  was  made  wide  enough  to  admit  of  four  modes 
of  missionary  action,  suitable  to  the  wants  and  conditions  of 
African  people,  viz. : — Evangelistic,  Educational,  Industrial  and 
Medical.  Experience  in  Livingstonia,  as  well  as  in  Lovedale, 
Blythswood,  and  other  places,  has  now  proved  this  fourfold  plan  of 
evangelising  Africa  to  be  the  most  successful.  That  missionary 
Gordon,  Mackay  of  Uganda,  longed  for  something  of  this  far- 
reaching  kind  in  his  own  sphere,  and  attributed  much  failure  and 
disappointment  to  the  want  of  it. 

It  was  ONE  work  under  four  methods  of  operation.  The  first 
was  the  most  important  from  a  certain  point  of  view,  but  the 
other  three  were  Gospel  agencies  also,  Christ  being  equally  visible 
in  all  of  them.  It  is  said  that  the  paintings  of  a  certain  artist  can 
always  be  recognised  by  one  face.  It  is  sometimes  the  face  of 
a  little  girl,  sometimes  of  a  young  woman,  sometimes  of  an  old 
woman.  But  it  is  always  the  same  face — that  of  the  artist's  mother. 
He  could  not  paint  a  picture  without  that  face.  In  like  manner 
each  of  these  methods  had  Christ  visible  in  plain  characters  that 
all  might  see  Him. 

To  this  work,  then,  the  missionaries  devoted  their  time  and 
energy.  Let  us  take  a  brief  glance  at  it  during  the  earlier  years  of 
the  Mission. 

The  Evangelistic  department,  or  the  direct  proclamation  of  the 
Gospelj  was  certainly  the  most  important,  for  without  it  all  their 
other  missionary  work  was  to  a  great  extent  valueless.  Unless 
the  heathen  experience  a  moral  and  spiritual  change,  no  sure 
foundation  can  be  laid.  Mere  industry  may  improve  their  out- 
ward circumstances  for  a  short  time,  when  they  will  perhaps  sink 


EARLY  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     113 

anew  into  their  old  barbarity.  Teaching  of  an  entirely  secular 
kind  may  only  make  them  greater  rogues  than  ever,  enabling  them 
to  tread  deeper  on  paths  of  wickedness.  What  is  needed  is  an 
inward  change  resulting  from  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  It  is  "the 
fear  of  the  Lord"  that  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom.  The 
missionaries  accordingly  set  themselves  first  and  foremost  to  the 
bringing  of  the  people  to  Christ.  They  made  it  known  that  they 
had  not  come  to  trade,  or  to  explore,  or  to  benefit  themselves,  but 
to  teach  "  the  book  " — the  message  from  God. 

At  first,  as  might  be  expected,  there  were  trials  and  disappoint- 
ments of  a  peculiar  kind,  difficulties  and  vexations  out  of  the 
common.  It  was  a  terrible  battle,  daily  and  hourly,  with  the 
gross  heathenism  and  revolting  superstitions  of  the  country — more 
terrible  than  can  be  imagined  by  the  ordinary  reader.  In  India 
and  similar  countries  where  the  messengers  of  the  Gospel  have  to 
contend  against  a  long-established  system  of  religion,  the  conflict 
is  hard  enough.  To  overthrow  the  complicated  systems  of 
Brahminism  and  Buddhism,  hoary  with  age  and  strength,  and 
defended  by  millions  of  superstitious  followers,  means  a  weary, 
long-continued  struggle.  But  in  Central  Africa  the  battle  in  many 
ways  was  equally  hard.  It  was  a  battle  with  blank,  unreasoning 
ignorance,  it  was  the  proclamation  of  spiritual  truths  to  men 
utterly  unacquainted  with  spiritual  matters.  The  natives  were 
not  only  ignorant,  but  were  unaware  of  their  ignorance ;  and  they 
had  first  to  have  their  eyes  opened  to  this.  To  change  the  picture  : 
it  was  the  clearing  away  of  the  heavy,  tangled  brushwood,  and 
the  ploughing  of  the  rough,  stony,  and  almost  impenetrable  soil 
beneath. 

Apart  from  the  Sabbath  services,  one  of  the  first  evangelistic 
agencies  was  a  short  week-day  meeting,  commenced  in  1876,  for 
the  grown-up  people — those  living  in  the  place,  and  those  who 
went  there  for  work.  It  was  held  at  first  every  alternate  day,  at 
noon,  but  afterwards  in  the  evening,  and  was  conducted  by  Dr 
Laws,  Dr  Stewart,  Dr  Black,  or  one  of  the  artisans,  by  means  of 
an  interpreter.  At  this  meeting  object  lessons  were  given,  with 
the  view  not  merely  of  enlightening  the  minds  of  the  natives,  but 
leading  them  up  to  God  and  His  grace.  The  first  lesson  was,  "  A 
watch,  and  how  we  divide  our  time."  The  divisions  of  the  day 
into  hours  were  explained  to  them  on  a  large  black  board.  The 
information,  of  course,  had  to  be  given  in  a  very  simple  form,  as  it 
H 


i ,  4  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

was  all  new  and  difficult  to  them — as  difficult  as  a  lecture  on  the 
polarisation  of  light  would  be  to  working  people  at  home.  The 
watch  was  then  compared  with  the  world,  and  it  was  shown  that 
the  latter  must  have  a  Maker  as  well  as  the  former.  The  second 
lesson  was,  "  Cotton  and  its  uses,"  from  which  the  people  were 
shown  the  necessity  of  a  change  in  the  natural  heart  before  it  can 
be  useful.  The  third  was,  "  How  we  communicate  with  each 
other,"  and  from  this  they  were  taught  how  God  communicates 
to  us  His  love  and  grace.  Such  instances  will  give  readers  an  idea 
of  the  method  adopted  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  Mission 
in  order  to  lead  the  natives  to  a  knowledge  of  the  true  and  living 
God.  As  the  meeting  was  held  every  alternate  day,  no  one  could 
be  two  days  in  the  place  without  receiving  information  on  things 
which  he  had  never  seen,  and  which  served  to  illustrate  some 
great  Christian  truth. 

Everything  said  was  really  new  and  startling  to  these  poor 
Africans.  We  need  not  wonder  that  there  was  a  strange  look  of 
bewilderment  on  their  faces  when  they  were  first  told  the  simple 
elements  of  religion,  such  as  the  creation  of  the  world  by  God,  the 
sinfulness  of  man,  and  the  sending  of  a  Saviour.  Almost  everyone 
has  noticed  the  bewilderment  of  a  cricket  at  the  light.  As  it  lives 
chiefly  in  the  dark,  and  its  eyes  are  accustomed  to  the  gloominess 
of  its  abode,  we  have  only  to  light  a  candle  amid  the  darkness, 
when  it  becomes  almost  dazed.  So  these  unfortunate  children  of 
Nyasa  had  lived  from  day  to  day  in  a  strange,  unearthly  darkness, 
and  when  the  light  of  Revelation  fell  upon  them  it  startled  them 
with  its  brilliance.  "  What  is  God  ?  "  they  said.  "  Where  is  He  ? 
What  has  He  to  do  with  us  ?  Where  is  His  country  ?  Is  there  a 
road  from  your  country  by  which  we  can  reach  it  ?  What  of  the 
earth  ?  How  is  it  that  if  a  man  travels  from  moon  to  moon,  he 
can  never  come  to  the  end  of  it  ?  Numberless  questions  such  as 
these  were  asked  about  sun,  moon,  stars,  God,  Heaven,  and  similar 
truths  in  regard  to  which  the  people  were  in  total  darkness. 

This  was  the  native  church  in  embryo.  It  met  in  a  mud-hut, 
with  an  average  attendance  of  only  forty,  but  the  power  of  God 
was  there  as  manifestly  as  in  a  pillared  cathedral.  At  home  men 
were  worshiping  God  in  beautiful,  costly  buildings,  with  Norman 
architecture,  stained  glass  windows,  oaken  pulpits,  and  comfortable 
scarlet-cushioned  seats.  But  "  God  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made 
with  hands."  He  is  not  confined  to  solid  walls  and  mortar  and 


EARLY  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     115 

timber.  He  was  in  this  little  hut  on  the  distant  shores  of  Nyasa 
as  much  as  in  any  building  of  white  marble,  though  the  former 
had  neither  pulpit,  nor  seats,  nor  adornment  of  any  kind,  and  no 
choir  or  pealing  organ  to  lead  the  praise.  He  was  there  as  He 
was  with  the  early  Christians  in  corners,  in  private  rooms,  and  in 
caves  and  woods — as  He  is  still  with  all  who  love  Him  in  sincerity 
and  truth,  whether  they  meet  in  cathedral  or  cottage,  under  some 
consecrated  dome  or  under  the  blue  canopy  of  heaven. 

When  the  native  language  had  been  sufficiently  acquired,  the 
evangelistic  work  developed  rapidly.  Truths  about  God,  the 
future  life,  and  daily  duty  were  constantly  unfolded,  and  the  dark 
citadel  of  heathenism  was  powerfully  attacked.  On  Sabbaths  two 
services  were  held  in  the  morning  for  the  natives,  a  Sabbath 
School  in  the  afternoon,  and  an  English  service  in  the  evening. 
Often,  when  workers  from  distant  villages  were  on  the  Station,  the 
schoolroom  was  filled  to  overflowing,  with  many  people  standing 
outside  at  the  open  windows.  Services  were  also  held,  as  often  as 
practicable,  at  Mpango's  village,  about  five  miles  to  the  south, 
which  was  easily  reached  by  one  of  the  small  boats,  and  occasionally 
at  other  villages. 

The  work  went  on  for  nearly  six  years  without  a  single  baptism 
or  one  manifestly  genuine  conversion  to  Christ.  Looked  at  with 
human  eyes,  the  work  for  the  time  seemed  to  be  a  failure — a  tragic 
and  dismal  failure.  The  missionaries  taxed  their  weak  and  fever- 
stricken  bodies  to  the  utmost.  They  preached,  argued,  entreated, 
rebuked,  and  in  doing  so  passed  through  many  forms  of  human 
suffering.  And  what  was  the  outcome  of  it  all?  The  few  to 
whom  they  preached  year  after  year  seemed  but  a  handful  of 
indifferent  individuals  more  concerned  with  earthly,  sensual 
matters  than  with  divine  truth ;  and  there  were  hundreds  of 
thousands  around  the  Lake  with  whom  they  had  never  come  in 
contact.  And  certainly,  if  their  missionary  work  seemed  to  be  a 
failure  with  regard  to  the  natives,  it  was  not  successful  as  regards 
themselves.  From  a  worldly  standpoint,  they  had  given  up  much 
and  gained  little  beyond  hardship,  isolation,  and  fever.  They  had 
given  up  the  comforts  of  home,  and  perhaps  a  distinguished  posi- 
tion in  the  Church,  in  order  to  become  wearied  workers  in  a  land 
of  cruelty  and  violence. 

It  was  disappointing,  certainly.  But  they  still  hoped  in  God. 
They  believed  Him  to  be  faithful.  They  knew  that  years  of 


n6  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

patient  waiting  and  bitter  disappointment  must  first  come.  There 
are  "  Nights  of  Toil  "  in  all  missions.  In  South  Africa  and  in  the 
South  Sea  Islands  many  anxious  years  passed  away  before  any 
direct  results  could  be  mentioned.  In  India  Carey  and  his 
brother  missionaries  laboured  seven  years  before  the  first  Hindoo 
convert  was  baptized.  Even  the  Apostle  Paul  laboured  and 
struggled  for  many  years  with  intense  energy  and  self-devotion,  and 
the  result  in  human  judgment  seemed  a  total  failure.  But  in  a 
few  years  the  blessing  came.  Christianity  broke  through  the  dark- 
ness and  cloud,  like  a  sunbeam  out  of  heaven.  False  gods  were 
thrown  from  their  seats,  the  Pantheon  and  every  idol  temple  of 
consequence  was  swept  away,  and  Paganism  fell  to  rise  no  more 
with  the  same  power. 

The  fact  is  that  in  all  missionary  labour,  while  there  may  be  no 
manifest  results,  there  is  a  hidden,  indirect  work  going  on,  which 
cannot  be  measured  or  tabulated — a  supernatural  process,  slow, 
silent,  but  sure.  There  are  secret  actions,  invisible  impressions, 
and  mysterious  touches  of  the  infinite  Spirit  of  God,  the  depth  and 
extent  of  which  can  never  be  set  down  in  statistics. 

Christians  at  home  are  too  apt  to  forget  this  fact,  and  to  de- 
spond at  the  apparent  fruitlessness  of  a  mission  during  its  opening 
period.  They  forget  that  God  is  faithful  who  has  promised,  and 
that  ultimate  success  is  certain.  There  may  be  long  toil,  many 
disasters,  incarnadined  seas,  dreary  deserts,  fightings  within  and 
fears  without.  But  as  surely  as  sunrise  comes  after  nights  of 
tempest  and  lingering  dawn,  so  surely  does  success  come  to  the 
missionary  labourer  in  distant  lands  who  toils  year  after  year  amid 
dusky  faces  and  unknown  tongues,  and  surrounded  by  a  heathenism 
that  seems  to  grow  daily  darker.  It  comes,  as  it  came  to  Augus- 
tine when  he  carried  the  Gospel  to  English  shores — as  it  came  to 
the  venerable  Bede  while  translating  the  Bible  into  the  familiar 
Saxon  tongue — as  it  came  to  Columba,  after  he  had  spent  long 
years  preaching  to  the  untutored,  unsubdued  Picts. 

Vast  numbers  around  Nyasa  have  long  ago  professed  their  faith 
in  Christ,  and  shown  the  sincerity  of  it  in  their  daily  lives.  The 
"  Dayspring  from  on  high  "  has  indeed  visited  these  sin-wasted 
regions,  and  dispelled  much  of  the  ignorance  and  superstition  in 
which  they  were  once  wrapped.  Of  Nyasaland,  as  of  Judaea,  it 
is  true,  "  The  people  which  sat  in  darkness  saw  great  light,  and  to 
them  which  sat  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death,  light  is  sprung 


EARLT  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     117 

up."  In  this  chapter,  however,  dealing  with  the  early  work  at  Cape 
Maclear,  the  writer  would  only  refer  to  the  first-fruits  of  this  great 
harvest.  They  came  in  1881.  It  was  an  immense  joy  to  the 
hearts  of  the  missionaries  and  interested  friends  at  home,  when  on 
March  2;th  of  that  year  Albert  Namalambe"  publicly  embraced 
Christ  by  faith  as  his  Saviour,  and  became  the  first  convert  in 
connection  with  Livingstonia,  the  first  native  light  amid  the  deep 
darkness.  This  interesting  extract  from  the  Mission  journal 
records  that  event : 

"Sabbath,  March  2^th. — This  is  a  red-letter  day  in  the  history 
of  the  Livingstonia  Mission.  By  the  blessing  of  God  the  work  of 
the  past  years  has  not  been  for  nought,  nor  has  He  suffered  His 
word  to  fail.  For  long  we  here  have  been  seeing  the  working  of 
God's  word  in  the  hearts  of  not  a  few ;  and  now,  by  God's  grace, 
one  has  been  enabled  to  seek  baptism  as  a  public  profession  of 
his  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  Last  Sabbath  Dr  Laws  intimated  that 
Albert  Namalambe  would  be  baptized  to-day.  The  school  was 
crowded,  and  the  attention  throughout  the  whole  service  was 
intense.  .  .  .  Dr  Laws  asked  Albert  to  address  the  people.  This 
he  did  in  a  humble  yet  manly  and  true-hearted  way,  and  with  a 
respect  for  the  older  people  which  gained  the  attention  of  all.  He 
told  them  the  reasons  why  he  had  sought  baptism  and  his  desire  to 
obey  God's  law.  He  had  been  living  among  them,  he  said,  and 
they  knew  if  he  were  speaking  the  truth.  He  pleaded  earnestly 
with  all  to  accept  of  Christ's  mercy.  .  .  .  Prayer  was  offered,  after 
which  Namalambe  was  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  three-one  God 
by  the  name  of  Albert.  God  bless  him  and  keep  him  was  the 
earnest  prayer  of  each  member  of  the  Mission  present  on  the 
occasion." 

Six  years  had  passed  away  before  this  event  took  place,  yet  let 
the  reader  think  of  the  importance  of  it — let  him  think  of  the  un- 
speakable value  of  one  convert.  If  we  have  one  light  we  can  make 
hundreds  more  from  it.  The  emblem  of  the  seventy-second 
Psalm  becomes  verified,  "  There  shall  be  a  handful  of  corn  in  the 
earth  on  the  top  of  the  mountains ;  the  fruit  thereof  shall  shake 
like  Lebanon."  None  can  tell  what  possibilities  there  are  in  one 
man's  efforts.  Even  a  stripling  with  a  sling  and  stone  may  do 
more  than  armies  can  accomplish.  It  was  so  with  Albert 
Namalambe' ;  he  was  the  means  of  bringing  many  more  into 
the  same  happy  condition.  Later  on,  as  we  shall  see,  he  became 


i  .8  DATBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

teacher,  evangelist,  and  all  things  else,  that  he  might  win  his  dark- 
skinned  brethren  to  a  Saviour. 

Who  that  knows  anything  of  the  first  six  years'  darkness, 
weariness,  and  disappointment  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  and  of 
the  great  and  unspeakable  success  that  has  now  come,  can  have 
any  doubts  as  to  the  ultimate  triumph  of  Christianity  ?  The  dreary 
winter  of  heathenism  may  have  lasted  far  longer  than  the  Church 
anticipated,  clouds  heavier  than  we  expected  may  have  hung  for 
centuries  over  the  vast  majority  of  our  race,  and  gloomy  mists 
may  still  be  obscuring  the  sunlight  of  heaven.  But  we  need  not 
despair,  and  we  do  not.  Not  suddenly — not  in  a  moment — are 
we  to  expect  any  change  to  come.  Silently,  gradually,  and  surely 
the  glory  of  the  upper  heavens  shall  yet  chase  away  the  brooding 
darkness.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness  shall  rise  more  and  more, 
covering  the  mountain  tops  and  filling  the  deepest  valleys,  until  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord, 
and  He  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.  Then,  indeed,  all  heaven 
shall  come  down  to  earth.  "I  the  Lord  will  hasten  it  in  its 
time." 

But  Education  continued  apace  with  all  evangelistic  effort. 
Since  the  days  of  Chalmers,  Inglis,  and  Duff,  this  department  of 
work  has  never  been  neglected  in  our  missions.  It  has  been 
carried  on  co-extensively  with  preaching — the  Bible  being  the 
chief  text-book,  and  all  useful  knowledge  being  sanctified. 

There  is  great  necessity  for  such  education  in  the  evangelization 
of  heathen  lands.  Certainly,  no  amount  of  it  can  renew  the 
human  heart  and  bring  the  mind  to  God.  Men  may  be  as 
cultivated  as  Robespierre  and  yet  be  as  dark-minded  and  desperate 
as  he  was.  They  may  have  as  good  an  intellectual  training  as 
John  Newton,  and  yet  be  as  great  libertines  as  he  was  when 
engaged  in  the  slave-trade.  No  human  skill  or  educational 
influence  can  take  the  place  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  But  at  the 
same  time  we  must  never  forget — as  some  good  Christian  people 
are  apt  to  do — that  a  system  of  Christian  education  is  an  un- 
doubted help  in  the  destruction  of  some  of  the  mighty  forces  of 
heathenism.  Not  until  the  natives  of  heathen  lands  are  taught  to 
read  the  Bible  in  their  own  language,  to  have  the  benefits  of  the 
printing  press  with  Christian  literature,  and  to  know  something  of 
the  great  verities  of  the  world,  can  we  expect  mighty  changes  to 
come  over  them. 


EARLT  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     119 

Moreover,  missionaries  can  never  leave  behind  them  a  native 
ministry,  or  Christian  churches,  self-supporting,  and  able  to  extend 
the  kingdom  of  Christ,  if  the  converts  are  allowed  to  remain 
ignorant,  unintelligent,  and  untrained,  even  in  matters  of  a  secular 
and  subordinate  kind.  It  is  only  when  they  are  able  to  read  the 
New  Testament,  to  expel  doubts  from  the  mind,  to  remove 
difficulties,  to  reason  intelligently  with  their  fellows,  and  to  manifest 
considerable  knowledge  and  judgment,  that  they  can  become 
powerful  missionaries  to  their  companions,  and  thus  help  mightily 
in  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  Let  the  Church  at  home  forbid  its 
missionaries  to  engage  in  the  work  of  education,  and  it  will  find 
ignorance,  stagnation,  and  perhaps  failure  existing  even  after 
generations  of  missionary  labour.  The  result  will  be  the  con- 
tinuance of  Africa  as  a  Dark  Continent,  and  of  India  as  a 
stronghold  of  heathen  philosophy. 

Hence,  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  the  Educational  Department 
went  on  side  by  side  with  the  Evangelistic.  A  school  for  children 
and  others  was  opened  not  long  after  the  Mission  party  had  settled 
down.  It  was  only  held  at  intervals  during  the  first  year,  as  Dr 
Laws  had  opportunity;  but  in  1876,  on  the  arrival  of  Dr  Stewart 
and  the  second  party,  it  was  definitely  commenced.  The  work  on 
the  Station  was  stopped  for  an  hour  on  the  morning  of  October 
3oth,  and  all  the  people,  both  Europeans  and  natives,  gathered 
together,  and  made  a  formal  opening  of  a  school,  the  first  regular 
school  at  Lake  Nyasa.  It  was  commended  to  God  in  prayer,  and 
His  divine  blessing  was  asked  upon  the  important  work  to  be 
commenced  that  day.  "  The  school,"  wrote  Dr  Black,  "  is  taught 
by  one  of  the  educated  Kafirs.  The  numbers  are  small — 
seventeen;  still  it  is  a  good  beginning,  and  they  are  on  the 
increase.  One  is  the  eldest  son  and  heir  of  Ramakukane,  the 
head  of  the  Makololo  chiefs  on  the  Lower  Shire" ;  another  is  a 
chiefs  son,  the  father  being  dead;  some  are  boys  sent  to  be 
companions  to  these ;  two  are  boys  we  found  as  stowaways  on 
the  Ilala — they  walked  sixty  miles  to  reach  the  ship ;  two  were 
slaves,  whom  we  received  in  a  present  at  Kilimane ;  one  is  a 
half-caste,  whom  I  got  from  a  chief;  some  are  orphan  lads,  who 
have  sought  shelter  and  a  home  with  the  English;  and  others 
are  boys  who  come  from  the  neighbouring  villages  to  work 
for  us." 

The  "educated   Kafir"  referred    to   here    by   Dr   Black   was 


120  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

Shadrach  Ngunana,  who  carried  on  the  school  regularly  until  his 
death  in  June  1877.  After  that,  it  was  taken  up  by  William 
Koyi,  Mr  Alexander  Riddell,  Mr  John  Gunn,  and  others ;  while 
Mrs  Laws  also  rendered  valuable  help,  as  opportunity  offered, 
especially  among  the  girls. 

These  dark-skinned  children  were  not  unlike  other  children  in 
their  daily  life,  but  with  a  greater  amount  of  wildness  and  freedom. 
"  As  the  child  grows,  he  has  no  penalties  to  pay  to  the  requirements 
of  polite  society;  he  has  to  go  through  no  ordeal  of  being 
taught  to  sit  properly  at  table,  to  hold  his  knife  and  fork 
properly,  and  such  things.  Simple  child  of  nature,  thou  hast 
neither  table  nor  chair,  knife  nor  fork !  He  has  no  School 
Board  to  confine  him ;  his  time  is  all  his  own.  He  goes  forth 
to  swim  in  the  brooks,  or  play  in  the  woods.  There  is  no 
clock  in  the  hall  that  will  tell  tales  about  his  long  stay :  he 
watches  the  course  of  the  great  clock  in  the  face  of  the  heavens, 
which  he  learns  to  read  with  astonishing  accuracy.  As  darkness 
sets  in,  he  must  go  home  (from  danger  of  wild  beasts),  and  may 
be  seen  returning  to  the  village.  Perhaps  he  carries  a  great  bag 
full  of  beetles  or  of  field  rats,  which  are  to  serve  as  a  relish  to  his 
evening  meal.  Possibly  he  is  laden  with  wild  fruits ;  in  any  case, 
he  has  the  appearance  of  brightness  and  buoyancy  that  an  English 
child  has  when  returning  from  a  pic-nic.  He  carries  his  little  bow 
and  arrows,  and  is  accompanied  by  two  or  three  companions  like 
himself."* 

How  like  all  other  children  in  their  daily  life  !  And  yet  how 
unlike  the  children  of  Scotland  in  the  dense  heathenism  surround- 
ing them !  How  dark  the  future  prospects  of  this  pleasant 
childish  life,  without  any  communication  from  heaven  or  any 
knowledge  of  a  Saviour !  Left  to  themselves,  and  their  own 
inclinations,  what  can  we  expect  but  violence,  cruelty,  and  vice 
in  their  later  years  ?  Surely  we  cannot  but  have  compassion  on 
them.  Christ's  own  love  for  children  and  His  divine  utterances 
regarding  them,  teach  us  the  sacredness  of  childhood  and  youth. 
If  He  took  the  children  from  the  street  in  His  arms,  and  laid 
His  hands  on  them  in  highest  benediction  ;  if  He  announced 
that  their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  Him  before  whom 
seraphs  bow ;  if  He  declared  in  words  which  have  echoed  down 
the  centuries,  "Whoso  shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  My 
*  "  Africana,"  by  Rev.  Duff  Macdonald,  vol.  i.  p.  I2O. 


EARLY  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     121 

name,  receiveth  Me  ! " — we  cannot  overlook  the  rightful  claims  of 
children  in  the  dark  places  of  the  earth. 

In  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  during  the  earlier  years,  the  teach- 
ing, of  course,  was  of  an  extremely  elementary  nature.  The  first 
lesson,  given  by  means  of  a  blackboard  and  a  few  slates,  consisted 
simply  of  the  first  few  letters  of  the  alphabet  and  a  few  numerals, 
with  names  in  English  and  Nyanja.  Afterwards,  instruction  was 
given  in  syllables,  the  multiplication  table,  the  days  of  the  week, 
and  similar  matters.  A  simple  reading  book  was  introduced  later 
on,  and  then  a  more  advanced  one.  The  best  part  of  the  time, 
however,  was  generally  given  to  religious  instruction,  the  first 
half-hour  being  always  spent  on  a  Bible  lesson  taken  alternately 
from  the  historical  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  and  from  the 
Gospels  in  the  New.  As  we  might  expect,  there  were  immense 
uphill  difficulties  in  such  educational  work,  especially  at  first. 
For  one  thing,  the  attendance  was  apt  to  be  very  irregular.  This 
arose,  not  from  any  external  opposition  to  the  work,  but  from 
the  habits  of  the  people,  who  had  not  been  trained  to  regularity 
in  anything,  and  who  did  not  really  value  education,  imagining 
that  their  children  ought  to  be  paid  for  submitting  to  be  taught, 
and  even  going  the  length  of  demanding  calico  for  it ! 

Notwithstanding  these  hindrances,  remarkable  progress  was 
made.  By  the  beginning  of  1881  two  schools  had  been  estab- 
lished, with  a  combined  roll  of  90  scholars  (51  male,  39  female). 
Some  of  these  scholars  came  from  a  distance  and  boarded  at  the 
Mission  Station ;  others  lived  with  their  parents  and  attended 
school  daily.  We  can  picture  these  children  committing  to 
memory  verses  of  Scripture,  singing  Christian  hymns,  and  listen- 
ing to  truths  utterly  strange  and  startling  even  to  their  parents, 
and  we  may  think  that  they  could  but  faintly  comprehend  the 
meaning  of  it  all.  But  it  was  the  sowing  of  good  seed,  and 
the  harvest  came  in  due  time  according  to  God's  own  promise. 
Some  day,  perhaps,  the  precious  seed  found  a  lodgment  in  their 
hearts.  It  lay  inactive  during  years  of  heathenism  and  ignorance, 
but  by  and  by  some  droppings  of  God's  grace  fell  upon  it,  and 
there  was  a  movement.  The  seed,  once  planted,  amid  many 
drawbacks  and  for  a  long  time  dormant,  began  to  germinate. 
The  blade  appeared  and  the  plant  grew.  It  ripened  into  con- 
viction, and  the  once  heathen  boy  or  girl,  now  realising  the  love 
of  God,  and  putting  trust  in  an  invisible  Saviour,  became  a 


122  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Christian,  and  was  afterwards  admitted  to  the  fellowship  of  God's 
Church.  Hence  we  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  these 
schools  in  a  heathen  land  are  one  of  the  best  evangelistic 
agencies,  the  children  learning  not  merely  to  read  and  write,  but 
coming  in  the  end  to  know  Christ  as  their  Saviour. 

Much  time  was  also  given  to  Industry^  which  has  always  been 
found  a  useful  adjunct  in  missionary  pioneering.  The  work  of 
Alexander  Mackay  in  Uganda  would  doubtless  have  been  robbed 
of  much  of  its  influence  had  he  not  been  a  trained  artisan,  able  to 
make  boats,  do  practical  engineering,  and  instruct  the  natives  in 
wood  and  iron.  The  devoted  Dr  Paton  found  that  what  he  had 
learned  in  the  mechanical  line  when  a  lad  was  of  immense  service 
to  him  afterwards  in  the  New  Hebrides.  In  fact,  a  missionary  to 
barbarous  or  ignorant  tribes  must  not  only  be  able  to  preach  the 
Gospel,  but  also  to  use  the  axe,  the  saw,  and  the  trowel.  He 
must  be  double-handed,  a  preacher  and  a  practical  man  com- 
bined. 

Even  in  home  mission  work  among  the  lapsed  masses  of  our 
modern  cities,  we  know  how  a  missionary  must  be  everything  by 
turns,  "  all  things  to  all  men,"  if  he  is  to  influence  the  hearts  of 
the  people.  He  must  work  through  Christian  sympathy  with  their 
bodily  wants,  Christian  friendliness  in  their  social  life,  lectures, 
temperance  societies,  savings  banks,  and  many  similar  things. 
He  must  exert  his  influence  through  various  indirect  channels,  so 
that  his  message  of  salvation  may  not  fall  flat  and  dead  on  their 
ears,  but  touch  them  with  spirit  and  power.  So  is  it  with  industrial 
work  among  the  submerged  population  of  Africa :  we  may  call  it 
a  subordinate  or  indirect  agency,  or  whatever  name  we  like,  but 
it  is  no  mere  human  invention  or  secular  influence.  It  is  a  part, 
an  essential  part  of  the  divine  plan  for  the  conversion  of  the 
world. 

Hence  it  was  that  the  Committee  sent  out  young  artisan- 
missionaries  with  both  Expeditions,  not  only  to  erect  the  Mission 
buildings  and  work  the  steamer,  but  also  to  teach  the  arts  of 
industry ;  and  from  time  to  time  since  then  it  has  sent  out  many 
more  of  the  same  kind,  blacksmiths,  carpenters,  engineers,  masons, 
printers,  and  others. 

We  can  hardly  realise  how  much  this  work  was  needed  among 
the  natives  of  Nyasaland,  apart  from  any  benefits  it  might  confer 
on  the  Mission.  They  may  have  had  a  better  knowledge  many 


EARLT  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     123 

ages  before,  as  some  people  think ;  but,  if  so,  their  history  had 
undoubtedly  been  retrograde.  They  could  not  even  comprehend 
the  most  elementary  rules,  much  less  make  proper  doors  or 
windows.  They  knew  nothing  of  tools  and  implements,  and  were 
deeply  astonished  at  the  sight  of  them.  Saws,  planes,  and  similar 
instruments  were  marvels  to  them.  The  spirit  level  was  an  extra- 
ordinary novelty  :  they  thought  it  possessed  supernatural  powers, 
as  there  was  a  small  drop  of  water  in  it,  they  said,  that  always  ran 
uphill !  They  had  no  idea  of  sawing  wood,  all  articles  being 
hewn  from  solid  blocks.  Their  spoons,  pillows,  benches,  and  all 
their  simple  articles  of  furniture  were  mere  "dug-outs,"  as  were 
also  their  canoes,  which  were  hollowed  out  from  trees  by  burning 
and  incessant  chipping.  They  could  not  even  comprehend  a 
straight  line,  as  they  were  so  accustomed  to  making  everything 
circular  or  rounded.  "  No  one,"  says  Dr  Laws,  "  can  work  much 
with  the  natives  in  Central  Africa,  without  seeing  that  the  man 
who  implants  the  ideas  of  a  straight  line  and  a  right  angle  in 
the  natives'  mind  has  caused  a  great  stride  to  be  made  towards 
civilisation." 

They  had  thus  to  be  trained  to  the  eye  and  the  hand,  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  rule  and  square,  and  to  the  use  of  the  saw  and 
similar  tools,  before  they  could  produce  anything  of  much  value 
in  the  shape  of  work.  But  considering  their  lifelong  degradation, 
they  made  rapid  headway.  Some  became  carpenters,  some  sawyers, 
some  gardeners  and  agriculturists,  some  brickmakers,  some  builders, 
some  blacksmiths,  and  some  sailors  and  stokers.  They  helped  to 
erect  the  houses,  the  schools,  the  storehouse,  and  the  workshop, 
and  to  make  the  sawpit,  the  boathouse,  the  dispensing  counter, 
and  other  things.  Their  own  houses  were  simply  circular  frame- 
works made  of  poles,  with  split  bamboos  bound  transversely  and 
lashed  together  by  bark-rope,  and  with  mud  squeezed  into  the 
interstices  and  a  coating  of  it  plastered  on  both  sides.  In  such 
"  wattle  and  daub  "  structures  there  was  no  skill  in  joinery ;  but 
the  building  and  roofing  of  houses  in  English  fashion  at  once 
showed  them  something  to  which  they  had  not  attained,  and 
helped  them  to  see  their  own  ignorance  and  appreciate  industrial 
training. 

Some  attention  was  devoted  to  agriculture  as  being  a  branch  of 
industry  that  might  become  a  great  blessing  to  the  Mission,  as 
well  as  help  in  rendering  it,  to  some  extent,  self-supporting.  In 


i24  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

some  respects  the  natives  were  skilful  agriculturists,  and  could 
give  a  lesson  to  Europeans.  The  dexterity  with  which  some  of 
them  handled  the  hoe  was  remarkable.  "  To  myself,"  wrote  Mr 
Gunn,  "  I  confess  it  is  perfectly  surprising.  In  a  bed  where 
plants  grow  two  to  three  inches  apart,  and  where  only  by  a  close 
scrutiny  are  they  distinguished  from  the  weeds  that  surround 
them,  a  native  in  uprooting  the  weeds  will  wield  the  hoe  with 
such  rapidity  that  you  cannot  follow  its  course  with  the  eye,  and 
still  you  look  in  vain  for  an  injured  plant." 

But  in  other  important  respects  they  had  much  to  learn.  As  a 
rule,  their  method  of  preparing  the  ground  was  laborious  to  them- 
selves and  ruinous  to  the  interests  of  the  country.  They  generally 
cut  down  the  trees  in  a  well-forested  place,  and  left  them  trunk 
and  branch  to  dry  during  the  rainless  season  of  the  year.  They 
then  burned  them,  dug  the  ashes  into  the  ground,  and  planted 
their  maize  and  other  crops  in  the  fertile  soil.  Next  season,  they 
moved  away  to  some  other  section  of  forest  land,  where  they 
repeated  the  same  process.  With  a  few  exceptions,  they  had  no 
idea  of  fixity  of  tenure.  They  made  no  attempt  to  carefully 
manure  the  soil,  or  to  cultivate  the  same  definite  piece  of  ground 
year  after  year,  as  is  done  in  other  countries.  Their  method, 
while  yielding  a  large  crop,  involved  an  enormous  waste  of  good 
timber,  for  the  same  forest  never  appeared  again,  but  was  usually 
replaced  by  grass  or  weeds.  Owing  to  this,  and  the  annual  bush 
fires,  the  country  was  gradually  being  deforested  and  reduced  to  a 
prairie  condition. 

Such  evils  had  to  be  remedied.  The  natural  resources  of  Africa 
are  vast,  and  the  people  had  to  be  taught  how  to  develop  them 
and  profitably  use  them.  Under  the  guidance  of  the  agriculturist- 
missionaries  they  were  shown  what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it. 
Farming  was  undertaken,  many  acres  of  soil  were  reclaimed,  and 
gardens  were  cultivated.  The  native  productions  consisted  of 
cassava,  which  the  people  made  into  flour ;  maize  or  Indian  corn, 
which  is  supposed  to  have  been  introduced  by  the  Portuguese ; 
sorghum  or  "  mapira,"  as  the  natives  called  it,  which  is  equivalent 
to  the  Durrha  of  the  Soudan;  sesamum,  the  seeds  of  which 
produce  a  fine  oil  much  used  in  cooking ;  as  well  as  sugar- 
cane, castor  oil,  sweet  potatoes,  pumpkins,  cotton,  beans,  and 
many  other  things.  The  missionaries  cultivated  some  of  these 
native  productions,  giving  the  people  valuable  instruction  in 


EARLT  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     125 

the  matter.  They  also  introduced  additional  sources  of 
wealth. 

Consul  Elton  of  Mozambique,  who  visited  the  Mission  in  1877, 
has  written  a  commendatory  account  of  it.  After  speaking  of  the 
school,  he  says :  "  We  then  inspected  the  draining  works  and  the 
brick  manufactory,  and  walked  one  and  a  half  miles  down  a 
straight  road  (straight  in  Africa !)  to  the  fields,  where  wheat,  oats, 
peas,  mohogo,  sem-sem,  and  mapira  are  planted,  in  charge  of  a 
man  and  his  wife  from  the  Shire  cataracts.  Trie  man  had  been 
released  by  Dr  Livingstone  years  ago,  and,  being  afraid  that  he 
was  going  again  to  be  sold  as  a  slave,  volunteered  to  join  the 
Mission.  The  gardens,  cooking-ranges,  corn-mill  (a  great  attrac- 
tion to  the  natives),  carpenter's  stores,  etc.,  concluded  the  inspec- 
tion. I  was  exceedingly  pleased  with  all  I  saw,  and  thoroughly 
admire  the  work  that  has  been  done  by  all."  * 

Consul  Elton's  mention  of  a  straight  road  leads  us  to  say  that 
the  natives  were  also  taught  road-making,  which  was  an  excellent 
training  for  steady  work,  and  had  a  specially  civilising  and 
beneficial  influence  on  them.  As  a  rule,  Africans  are  disinclined 
to  anything  in  the  form  of  labour,  no  matter  what  inducement 
may  be  offered  to  them.  This  may  be  a  racial  defect,  or  it  may 
be  the  result  of  generations  of  bitter  slavery ;  and  it  is  no  doubt 
fostered  by  the  warm,  genial  climate,  and  by  the  ease  with  which 
a  food  supply  can  be  obtained.  But  it  is  nevertheless  a  trait  in  the 
African  character  requiring  to  be  removed  in  every  possible  way, 
as  the  security  of  the  country  depends  upon  the  abundance  of 
native  labour.  The  country  would  speedily  become  relatively 
healthy  and  amazingly  rich  if  the  natives  could  only  be  got 
to  work  with  their  hands,  as  the  white  man  himself  does. 
Towns  would  be  built,  roads  would  be  constructed,  railways 
could  be  made,  marshes  could  be  drained,  and  countless  crops 
could  be  cultivated,  if  sufficient  natives  offered  themselves  for 
the  work. 

Road-making  was  therefore  an  excellent  training  for  these 
natives,  leading  them  to  see  the  value  and  necessity  of  labour. 
It  was  also  a  great  benefit  to  the  district,  as  the  native  roads  are 
little  more  than  a  foot  broad,  and  are  never  straight,  but  a  con- 
stant succession  of  short  curves,  leading  the  traveller  to  lose  one 
mile  in  every  five.  Not  only  so,  but  the  grass  grows  about  eight 
*  "Lakes  and  Mountains  of  Africa,"  p.  280. 


126  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

feet  high,  and  if  it  has  been  raining  or  the  dews  have  been  heavy, 
the  traveller  in  a  short  time  becomes  soaked  to  the  skin. 

Our  readers  will  thus  see  the  benefit  of  straight  and  unimpeded 
roads  in  Africa.  The  missionaries  set  themselves  to  such  work 
with  much  energy.  In  1877,  Mr  James  Stewart  and  hundreds  of 
the  natives  cut  a  road  round  the  Murchison  Cataracts,  via  Mandala 
and  Blantyre,  many  of  these  natives  giving  two  days'  labour  with- 
out pay  in  order  to  help  the  Mission.  This  road,  about  sixty 
miles  in  length,  was  made  at  the  joint  expense  of  the  Free  and 
Established  Churches.  It  started  from  Katunga,  at  the  foot  of 
the  Cataracts,  rising  for  about  thirty  miles  to  Blantyre,  where  it 
reached  a  height  of  3000  feet,  and  then  descending  another  thirty 
miles  to  Matope  on  the  Upper  Shire.  When  the  British  Adminis- 
tration entered  on  its  work  this  road  was  improved  and  greatly 
altered  by  Captain  Sclater,  R.E.,  who  avoided  the  steep  inclines, 
and  made  it  more  practicable  for  waggons.  It  is  now  known  as 
the  "Sclater  Road"  from  the  Lower  Shire"  to  Blantyre.*  The 
upkeep  of  it  involves  no  small  trouble  and  expense  to  the 
Administration;  but  events  are  happening  so  rapidly  in  Central 
Africa  that  it  may  soon  be  superseded  by  a  railway  from  Chiromo, 
as  the  best  and  only  practicable  way  of  opening  up  the  country. 

All  the  natives  who  engaged  in  industrial  work  received  wages 
from  the  Mission,  being  thus  taught  the  advantages  of  honest 
labour  and  the  misery  of  idleness.  These  wages  were  at  first  paid 
in  calico,  beads,  or  brass  wire — the  usual  currency  of  the  district 
— and  varied  in  value  from  i  |d.  to  3d.  per  day.  But  when  Dr  Laws 
visited  Cape  Colony  in  1879,  he  took  back  with  him  to  the 
Mission  ^25  in  pence,  threepennies,  and  sixpenny  pieces,  so  that 
wages  might  be  paid,  if  possible,  in  English  money,  which  the 
natives  could  convert  into  calico  and  other  things  when  they 
desired.  By  this  latter  method  they  could  choose  any  quality  of 
calico  to  suit  themselves,  or  any  colour  of  beads,  or  even  any  kind 
of  garment  for  which  they  had  a  fancy. 

At  first  some  of  the  natives  did  not  care  for  the  money,  but 
preferred  their  own  currency.  They  were  somewhat  puzzled  at 
the  coins,  and  could  not  understand  how  a  large  bright  penny  did 
not  bring  so  much  calico  as  a  threepenny  piece.  It  was  amusing 

*  It  used  to  be  called  the  "Stewart  Road"  in  memory  of  the  devoted 
engineer  who  constructed  it.  It  is  a  pity  this  name  was  not  retained  by  the 
British  Administration. 


EARL?  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     127 

sometimes  to  the  missionaries  to  watch  the  suspicion  with  which  a 
newcomer  would  eye  the  money,  refusing  to  pick  it  up  and  desiring 
to  have  it  changed  for  calico  at  once,  which  was  of  more  value  to 
them  than  all  the  coins  of  the  Royal  Mint.  But  the  natives  soon 
lost  their  fears  in  this  matter  and  even  went  to  the  other  extreme. 
Some  pushing  individuals  imagined  that  anything  having  the  least 
resemblance  to  a  coin  would  satisfy  the  missionaries,  and  so  they 
sometimes  handed  in  a  button,  saying  with  affected  innocence, 
"  Would  you  please  exchange  my  money ! " 

Since  these  early  days  English  coinage  has  been  widely  intro- 
duced by  the  British  Administration,  which  in  1891  imported 
several  thousand  pounds'  worth  of  gold,  silver,  and  copper  coins 
from  the  Mint.  The  new  system  was  encouraged  by  the  African 
Lakes  Company,  which  established  a  bank  at  Blantyre,  with 
branches  at  other  places.  Except  in  outlying  districts,  the  natives 
now  carry  on  their  transactions  by  means  of  cash  instead  of  the 
old  barter  of  trade  goods.  Many  of  them  even  decline  to  accept 
any  payment  except  in  money,  preferring  to  turn  it  into  goods  at 
their  own  pleasure.  The  Administration  also  receives  most  of 
the  native  taxes  in  cash,  and  to  some  extent  has  made  money 
payments  compulsory  between  Europeans  and  their  native  em- 
ploye's. If  the  introduction  of  money  must  be  ascribed  to  any 
particular  individual,  it  must  be  to  Dr  Laws,  who  has  been  the 
undoubted  pioneer  in  this,  as  in  many  other  important  matters. 

From  what  we  have  said,  the  reader  may  picture  to  himself  the 
immense  change  which  soon  came  over  the  Cape  Maclear  district 
through  the  knowledge  of  the  various  arts  and  trades.  Such  a 
change  carried  with  it  untold  blessings.  It  gave  to  not  a  few 
some  decision  of  character,  self-restraint,  courage,  steadiness  of 
effort,  and  other  ennobling  qualities.  It  acted  as  a  purifying  fire, 
helping  to  burn  up  the  poison  of  heathenism  and  turn  its  sour 
smoke  into  bright,  blessed  flame.  It  cleared  away  the  foul  jungles 
from  many  a  native  heart,  and  made  fair  seed-fields  to  rise  instead. 
It  restrained  the  mind  from  evil  imaginations;  and,  in  short, 
made  these  Central  Africans  men  instead  of  idle,  warlike,  vicious 
barbarians. 

But  of  the  four  departments  daily  carried  on,  the  Medical  was 
perhaps  the  most  useful,  from  a  human  standpoint.  There  is 
surely  no  missionary  agency  which  has  so  much  the  loving  smile 
of  our  Saviour  resting  upon  it.  It  was  His  delight  to  heal  the  sick, 


128  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONU 

give  sight  to  the  blind,  cleanse  the  leper,  and  make  the  lame  to 
walk.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  scenes  in  His  life  was  the  sunset 
one  at  Capernaum,  when  "  all  they  that  had  any  sick  with  divers 
diseases  brought  them  unto  Him ;  and  He  laid  His  hands  on  every 
one  of  them,"  as  one  of  our  most  beautiful  hymns  puts  it — 

"  At  even,  ere  the  sun  was  set, 
The  sick,  O  Lord,  around  Thee  lay  ; 
O,  with  what  divers  pains  they  met ! 
O,  with  what  joy  they  went  away  ! " 

When,  therefore,  our  missionaries  minister  to  diseases,  and  combine 
with  this  beneficent  work  the  proclamation  of  the  Gospel,  they  are 
directly  following  the  example  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  obeying  in 
the  best  way  his  last  earthly  command  to  make  disciples  of  all 
men.  Their  work  is  an  Imitatio  Christi  as  perfect  as  ever 
imagined  by  Thomas  a  Kempis. 

Apart  altogether  from  the  physical  good  accomplished  by 
medical  missions,  there  is  a  powerful  influence  exerted  by  them 
upon  the  natives,  and  the  door  is  thus  opened  in  a  most  remark- 
able way  for  the  Gospel.  We  can  imagine  the  influence  wielded 
from  this  cause  alone  by  the  Livingstonia  Mission.  The  populous 
tribes  of  Nyasaland  had  not  known  of  any  proper  means  of  bodily 
healing,  and  had  never  met  with  strangers,  except  as  Arab  raiders 
and  Portuguese  oppressors.  But  now,  some  white  men — better, 
wiser,  stronger  than  themselves — had  come  from  a  great  and  far 
country  to  live  among  them  and  to  do  them  good — not  to  seize 
them  for  the  dreadful  slave  market,  or  to  lash  them  into  their 
service,  or  to  take  their  cattle,  but  to  deal  kindly  with  them,  to 
heal  their  bodies,  and  to  minister  to  their  physical  necessities. 
These  men  also  carried  about  with  them  a  Gospel  of  love,  and 
told  of  a  Saviour  from  sin,  and  of  a  better  and  happier  life.  If 
these  white  missionaries  could  heal  physical  diseases,  and  were 
willing  to  do  so  without  any  reward,  might  not  their  Gospel  of 
salvation  be  true?  Would  they  act  so  sympathetically  if  their 
message  were  a  falsehood  ?  In  this  way  the  natives  came  to 
realise  the  sincerity  of  these  devoted  men  who  lived  among  them, 
and  the  door  was  opened  up  wonderfully  for  missionary  work 
throughout  the  district. 

A  grand  opportunity  was  also  afforded  of  commending  the 
Gospel.  When  once  the  patients  had  been  gathered  together 


EARLY  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     129 

by  the  attractions  of  the  "  white  doctor,"  how  easy  to  urge  upon 
them  the  teaching  of  the  Bible,  and  to  tell  them  of  that  Gospel 
which  is  more  precious  than  all  earthly  medicines  !  What  a 
splendid  opportunity  to  unfold  to  them  the  character  of  the 
Great  Physician,  out  of  love  to  whom  the  white  doctor  himself 
had  left  home  and  country  !  Not  only  in  Nyasaland,  but  wherever 
it  has  been  tried,  medical  mission  work  has  opened  widely  doors 
which  would  otherwise  have  been  closed  for  ever  to  the  message 
of  salvation  ;  it  has  conciliated  opposition,  removed  suspicion,  and 
dispelled  prejudice ;  and  it  has  demonstrated  to  the  heathen  the 
humane  and  sympathetic  character  of  Christianity.  As  in  our 
own  country,  so  in  savage  regions,  when  a  doctor  writes  the  name 
of  Christ  across  his  medicines  and  instruments,  no  one  can  mistake 
what  kind  of  a  thing  Christianity  is. 

There  was  ample  scope  for  medical  work  in  the  Livingstonia 
Mission.  Although  the  natives  had  a  considerable  knowledge  of 
therapeutics,  and  made  useful  and  efficacious  infusions  from 
flowers,  roots,  and  leaves,  there  was  a  most  lamentable  amount 
of  superstition  connected  with  their  remedies.  Witchcraft — the 
supposed  cause  of  a  person's  illness — entered  into  all  their  treat- 
ment of  disease.  They  had  many  drugs  which  were  supposed  to 
act  by  occult  means.  They  had  innumerable  charms  and  counter 
charms,  which  were  worn  round  the  neck,  or  buried  in  the  ground, 
or  thrown  at  the  persons  whom  they  were  intended  to  influence. 
They  had  recipes  for  successful  shooting  of  wild  animals  and  for 
preservation  in  warfare.  They  had  a  concoction  to  enable  thieves 
to  come  and  go  invisible  to  other  men,  and  another  mixture  to 
protect  property  against  thieves.  With  their  medical  ideas  so 
mixed  with  gross  superstition,  there  was  a  wide  field  for  genuine 
medical  labour.  Besides,  Central  Africans  make  splendid  surgical 
patients,  bearing  pain  in  an  operation  with  great  fortitude,  and 
watching  the  application  of  the  surgical  instruments  with  a  smile 
on  their  face.  They  remain  quiet  without  anaesthetics,  when  a 
white  man  would  bitterly  complain,  or  would  receive  a  severe 
shock  to  his  system.  Even  when  suffering  terribly  from  wounds 
in  battle  they  scarcely  ever  wince. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  at  Cape  Maclear,  under  the 
skill  of  Dr  Laws  and  the  others,  a  large  amount  of  medical  and 
surgical  work  was  accomplished,  the  cases  attended  to  amounting 
to  about  a  thousand  in  the  year.  "  I  have  never,"  wrote  Dr  Laws, 


1 30  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

"  regretted  the  self-denial  which  it  cost  me  to  push  through  the 
medical  classes.  Already  my  work  is  becoming  known,  and  my 
sick  patients  have  been,  during  the  rainy  season,  opening  a  door 
to  many  villages,  into  which  I  hope  to  enter  during  the  dry  season, 
when  I  shall  be  able  to  move  about  easily."  In  fact,  innumerable 
instances  might  be  given  of  the  influence  wielded.  One  day  a 
sick  man  came  from  a  distance  for  medicine,  and  received  it. 
A  few  days  passed,  and  a  large  body  of  men  came  from  the  same 
place  with  provisions  for  sale,  and  asking  work.  Several  were 
engaged,  and  as  their  time  extended  over  a  Sabbath,  Dr  Laws 
had  an  opportunity  of  proclaiming  to  them  some  of  the  truths  of 
the  Gospel,  and  asking  them  to  communicate  to  their  fellow- 
villagers  the  wonderful  story  to  which  they  had  just  been  listening. 
The  work  thus  attracted  people  to  the  Mission  far  and  near. 

The  belief  of  the  natives  in  the  skill  and  power  of  the  white 
man  was  unbounded.  In  fact,  it  often  led  to  difficulty  in  the 
work,  for  they  generally  expected  too  much  from  a  single  dose 
of  medicine,  thinking  that  it  would  act  like  a  charm  and  work 
wonders. 

Occasionally  there  were  severe  cases  requiring  the  use  of  chloro- 
form. This  "sleep  medicine,"  as  the  natives  called  it,  was  a 
never-failing  wonder  to  them.  If  in  the  early  Christian  Church 
there  was  the  power  of  working  miracles,  there  was  something 
almost  equivalent  in  Nyasaland  in  the  modern  science  of  surgery 
with  its  chloroforming  operations.  To  the  simple  natives  the 
cases  were  apparently  miraculous.  So  far  as  they  could  see,  the 
white  man  first  killed  the  patient,  and  then,  when  quite  dead,  he 
cut  the  trouble  out ;  then  he  bound  up  the  wound  and  made  it 
better ;  and  then,  finally,  he  brought  the  patient  back  to  life  again. 
Every  cure,  too,  was  like  a  nail  in  the  coffin  of  superstition  and 
witchcraft.  Patients  went  back  to  their  homes  cured,  taking  with 
them  the  praises  of  the  white  man's  skill  and  kindness,  and,  better 
still,  carrying  in  their  hearts  some  message  of  the  Gospel  of  God's 
grace. 

The  confidence  of  the  natives  in  the  white  doctors  extended 
gradually,  until  in  1881  the  whole  district  had  come  to  put  trust 
in  them.  Within  a  few  years,  indeed,  there  were  thousands  who 
had  heard  of  a  Saviour's  love,  but  to  whom  the  missionaries  would 
never  have  had  an  opportunity  of  proclaiming  it,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  their  medical  work. 


EARLY  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     131 

But  this  was  not  all  the  practical  work  undertaken  by  the 
Mission  in  the  earlier  years  of  its  existence.  Evangelistic,  Educa- 
tional, Industrial,  and  Medical  labours  involved  time  enough  for 
any  mission  party;  but  more  than  this  was  accomplished.  A 
missionary  in  such  a  country  has  to  face  the  difficulties  of  the 
language,  and  reduce  it  to  signs  and  symbols.  He  has  to  spend 
many  months  at  first  in  acquiring  it,  and  then  perhaps  many  years 
in  creating  a  grammar  and  alphabet,  writing  a  dictionary,  and 
translating  the  message  of  the  Gospel.  This  task  had  to  be 
accomplished  at  Lake  Nyasa,  and  it  was  no  light  one.  All  the 
Bantu  group  of  languages  are  somewhat  difficult  in  their  con- 
struction, having  a  peculiar  system  of  concord,  by  which  noun, 
adjective,  pronoun,  and  preposition  are  supplied  with  a  certain 
prefix,  which  may  follow  the  rules  of  one  or  other  of  seven  different 
cases  of  concord. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  until  the  Nyanja  language,  the  principal 
one  spoken  at  the  south  end  of  the  Lake,  was  reduced  to  writing 
by  the  Livingstonia  missionaries.  Mr  Riddell,  who  was  for  some 
time  schoolmaster  as  well  as  agriculturist,  began  by  writing  down 
every  new  word  that  he  heard,  with  its  apparent  meaning.  After 
collecting  a  few  words  and  phrases,  he  got  some  boys  to  adjudicate, 
and  explain  any  difficulty;  and  thus  he  became  gradually  ac- 
quainted with  the  more  common  phrases  which  served  as  stepping- 
stones  to  something  more.  But  there  was  no  one  better  qualified 
to  undertake  such  a  task  than  Dr  Laws.  He  made  a  much  deeper, 
more  scientific,  and  more  accurate  study  of  the  language  than 
Mr  Riddell  had  the  opportunity  of  doing.  He  worked  daily  with 
native  lads  so  as  to  secure  accuracy  in  the  results ;  and,  while  in 
Cape  Colony  in  1879,  Part  °f  his  time  was  taken  up  in  endeavour- 
ing to  get  information,  and  in  consulting  eminent  Kafir  scholars 
about  the  best  way  of  representing  some  of  the  sounds,  in  fact, 
in  trying  to  fix  the  alphabet.  He  made  it  a  special  part  of  his 
work  as  a  missionary  to  reduce  the  native  language,  and  bring  all 
its  cacophony  and  peculiarities,  its  prefixes,  suffixes,  clicks,  and 
multitudinous  variations,  into  visible  form. 

The  result  was  that,  after  four  or  five  years'  experience,  the 
missionaries  had  so  far  managed  the  language  that  they  had  put 
it  into  grammatical  order  and  a  written  form.  A  grammar,  a 
primer,  a  hymn  book,  the  Gospel  of  Mark,  and  other  literary 
works  were  all  ready  in  this  language  by  1881.  It  was  an 


1 32  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

immense  advantage,  especially,  to  have  one  of  the  Gospels  trans- 
lated, and  no  one  was  more  pleased  than  Dr  Laws  when  he  had 
accomplished  this  task.  "  By  this  mail,"  he  wrote  in  January 
1881,  "I  sent  down  to  Lovedale  my  manuscript  of  the  Gospel 
of  Mark  to  have  800  copies  printed.  Begun  in  1876,  the  words 
have  often  been  changed  since  then.  No  doubt,  there  are  slips 
in  it  still,  but  I  have  endeavoured  to  make  it  as  accurate  as 
possible.  Soli  Deo  Gloria /"  * 

In  1875  tne  language  was  unknown  and  unreduced;  it  had  no 
grammar,  no  lexicon,  had  never  been  properly  seen  in  print,  and 
had  never  been  written  down  to  any  satisfaction.  Now,  by  1881, 
the  Gospel  of  Christ,  bringing  salvation  to  men,  had  been  trans- 
lated into  it,  an  achievement  as  great  perhaps  as  the  founding  of 
Livingstonia  itself.  Not  only  so,  but,  within  four  years  after  the 
planting  of  the  Mission,  Dr  Laws  had  begun  the  Tonga  language, 
spoken  on  the  west  coast  of  the  Lake.  Several  boys  from  that 
quarter  were  in  the  school,  and  from  their  lips  he  took  down  a 
vocabulary  of  their  language.  "  I  have  the  nouns  classified,"  he 
wrote  in  1880,  "and  a  table  of  concords  ready.  Part  of  the  verb 
s  also  reduced,  while  my  vocabulary  contains  some  500  of  the 
most  useful  words." 

So  far  the  writer  has  described  the  vast  amount  of  Evangelistic, 
Literary,  and  other  work  undertaken  and  successfully  accomplished 
by  the  Livingstonia  Mission  during  its  earliest  years.  And  now, 
before  concluding  this  chapter,  he  would  ask  the  reader  to  think 
of  the  power  of  Christianity  in  a  barbarous  country,  and  the 
unspeakable  value  of  our  missionaries.  Is  it  nothing  to  you,  dear 
reader,  that  certain  of  your  fellow-countrymen,  possessed  of  good 
education  and  no  ordinary  abilities,  should  voluntarily  enter  such 
savage,  undeveloped  regions,  not  with  a  desire  for  gain,  or  with 
any  unworthy  motive  at  all,  but  simply  and  solely  to  open  the 
eyes  of  these  brutish  natives  to  a  higher  and  nobler  existence,  to 
make  known  to  them  the  Revelation  of  Heaven,  and  to  lead  them 
in  paths  of  peace  and  purity?  What  armies,  navies,  or  treaties 
could  do  this  work  ?  In  some  quarters  earnest  missionaries  may 
be  ridiculed,  and  the  value  of  their  work  disparaged,  or  even 
denied,  but  this  can  never  be  done  by  any  sincere  observer. 
The  British  Commissioner,  writing,  as  he  states,  from  the  point  of 

*  The  whole  of  this  Lovedale  edition  was  lost  in  the  Machinjiri  war  and  never 
reached  the  Lake,  but  fortunately  the  translation  was  preserved. 


EARLY  EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK     133 

view  of  an  absolutely  impartial  outsider,  says,  "  Missionary  work 
in  British  Central  Africa,  believe  me,  has  only  to  tell  the  plain 
truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  to  secure  sympathy  and  support." 
Let  no  person,  therefore,  depreciate  the  value  of  such  work. 
Our  missionaries  on  the  shores  of  Nyasa  deserve  all  the  help  we 
can  give  them  in  their  struggle  against  spiritual  darkness  and 
savagery. 

"  Blessings  be  on  their  pathway,  and  increase  ! 
These  are  the  moral  conquerors,  and  belong 
To  them  the  palm-branch  and  triumphal  song — 
Conquerors — and  yet  the  harbingers  of  peace  !  " 


CHAPTER  IX. 
LOSSES  AND  REMOVAL  TO  BANDAWE 

THE  Psalmist  has  said  that  the  Lord  reigneth,  but  that  "  clouds 
and  darkness  are  round  about  Him."  There  are  few  who  cannot 
echo  this  from  their  own  individual  experience.  How  often  we 
find  that  God's  actions  are  involved  in  impenetrable  obscurity ! 
In  some  things  we  may  grope  after  Him  by  the  glimmerings  of 
reason ;  we  may  understand  many  of  His  ways  with  the  light  of 
revelation  to  guide  us,  but  still  there  is  often  a  depth  in  them 
which  we  cannot  fathom.  "  His  way,"  we  read,  "  is  in  the  sea, 
and  His  path  in  the  great  waters,  and  His  footsteps  are  not 
known." 

Such  were  the  thoughts  which  every  now  and  then  entered  the 
minds  of  many  friends  of  the  Mission  during  these  early  years  of 
its  existence,  for  they  were,  to  a  great  extent,  years  of  adversity 
and  loss.  More  than  one  of  the  workers  had  to  give  up  his  hope 
of  serving  Christ  in  Central  Africa  and  return  home ;  while  no 
less  than  four  of  them  were  removed  by  death  within  the  first  six 
years.  The  "  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness  "  claimed  them 
as  its  victims.  These  four  were  Dr  Black ;  Shadrach  Ngunana, 
one  of  the  Kafir  evangelists  from  Lovedale ;  Mr  John  Gunn,  the 
agriculturist ;  and  Mr  George  Benzie,  captain  of  the  Ilala,  who 
joined  the  Mission  in  1879. 

It  is  hard  to  understand  God's  dealings  in  such  matters.  They 
were  men  in  every  way  admirably  qualified,  by  their  previous 
training  and  inclinations,  for  the  field  of  their  choice — and  indeed 
for  any  mission  field.  They  had  hardly,  we  may  say,  commenced 
to  their  work  when  they  were  called  on  to  cease ;  and  their  long 
preparation  for  service,  their  hopes  and  their  aspirations,  were 
buried  in  the  grave.  It  is  the  old  perplexity,  due  to  our  limited 
knowledge  of  God's  ways,  and  of  each  man's  purpose  in  life. 
But  one  day  we  shall  understand.  At  present  we  see  through  a 
134 


LOSSES  AND  REMOVAL  TO  BAND  AWE  135 

glass  darkly ;  by  and  by,  when  the  glass  is  broken,  and  the  veil 
is  taken  away,  we  shall  understand  and  admire. 

"God's  plans,  like  lilies,  pure  and  white,  unfold, 
We  must  not  tear  the  close-shut  leaves  apart, 
Time  will  reveal  the  calyxes  of  gold." 

The  first  to  pass  to  his  eternal  rest  was  Dr  Black.  In  the 
beginning  of  May  1877,  he  was  prostrated  by  an  eighth  attack  of 
fever,  which  rapidly  increased  in  intensity,  and  was  accompanied 
by  stupor  and  delirium.  He  never  rallied,  in  spite  of  Dr  Laws' 
tender  and  skilful  nursing,  and  on  the  7th  of  the  month  he  "  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus" — about  six  months  only  after  his  arrival.  He 
was  taken  by  God  early,  as  the  roses  are  sometimes  plucked,  and 
the  lilies  gathered  by  the  gardener  in  the  beginning  of  the  first 
summer  month.  But  his  days  by  the  shores  of  Nyasa  were  not  in 
vain.  After  all,  he  lives  longest  who  lives  well,  and  can  tell  of 
good  done  for  Christ  each  day. 

Scarcely  had  this  young  and  devoted  missionary  been  laid  to 
rest  when  Shadrach  Ngunana,  the  brightest  of  the  four  Kafir  lads 
who  accompanied  Dr  Stewart,  was  called  away.  For  a  long  time 
he  had  been  in  rather  poor  health,  but  latterly  his  illness  assumed 
a  more  distressing  character,  and  he  quietly  passed  away  on  June 
27th.  Then,  within  three  years  afterwards — during  a  very  trying 
season,  when  all  suffered  more  or  less  from  fever — both  Captain 
Benzie  of  the  Ilala  and  Mr  John  Gunn  were  cut  down  by  this 
dreaded  disease.  Captain  Benzie  passed  away  on  February  the 
nth,  1880,  having  three  hours  previously  explicitly  declared  his 
trust  in  Christ — a  declaration  which  his  previous  life  at  the  Mission 
had  stamped  as  genuine.  Mr  Gunn  was  taken  a  few  weeks  later 
— on  April  ist.  His  loss  was  most  deeply  felt,  as  he  had  rendered 
specially  valuable  help  to  the  Mission.  He  had  not  only  super- 
intended his  own  department,  but  had  acted  as  a  very  efficient 
teacher  in  the  school ;  and  having  devoted  considerable  time  and 
attention  to  the  native  language,  he  was  able  to  address  a  meeting 
fluently,  and  to  attend  to  natives  visiting  the  Station.  On  several 
occasions  the  entire  work  of  the  Station  had  been  under  his  charge, 
and  he  had  always  carried  it  on  with  prudence  and  satisfaction. 
By  firmness  and  kindness  in  his  dealings  with  the  natives,  as  well 
as  by  his  addresses  to  them  in  their  own  language,  he  had  com- 
pletely won  their  affection  and  respect.  On  the  evening  of  his 


136  DAK 'BREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

death  strong  men  burst  into  tears,  whose  eyes  had  never  been  seen 
wet  before;  and  on  the  following  morning,  soon  after  daybreak, 
between  three  and  four  hundred  people  were  sitting  on  the  ground 
before  the  Mission  Station,  with  their  hands  on  their  mouths,  and 
with  faces  expressive  of  heartfelt  sorrow.  It  was  a  striking  testimony 
to  his  work,  proving,  too,  that  the  natives  of  Central  Africa  can 
fully  appreciate  the  kindness  of  a  true  friend,  and  the  value  of  a 
useful  life. 

All  these  faithful  disciples  of  Christ  lie  buried  at  the  base  of  a 
large  granite  rock,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  about  400  yards  behind 
the  Mission  Station,  along  with  Mr  Mackay  of  the  Blantyre  Mission 
— all  awaiting  the  glorious  resurrection  morn.  A  winding  path 
leads  up  to  this  little  "  God's  Acre,"  and  now  and  again  feet  steal 
along  it  to  lay  memorials  there.  The  spot  is  pointed  to  by  the 
natives  as  a  sacred  place,  and  many  a  traveller  doffs  his  hat  beside 
the  little  cluster  of  graves. 

These  losses  marked  the  onward  march  of  Christ's  kingdom  in 
Central  Africa.  Strange  though  it  may  seem,  they  were  the  stepping- 
stones  to  progress.  In  1877,  when  Dr  Laws  took  Mr  James 
Stewart  up  the  Zambesi  and  Shire  for  the  first  time,  they  visited 
Mrs  Livingstone's  grave  at  Shupanga,  Bishop  Mackenzie's  at 
Chiromo,  and  Messrs  Scudamore  and  Dickinson's  at  Chibisa's. 
"  A  queer  country  this  is,"  said  Mr  Stewart,  "  where  the  only  things 
of  interest  you  have  to  show  me  are  the  graves  !  "  "  Yes,"  replied 
Dr  Laws,  "but  they  are  the  milestones  of  Christianity  to  the 
regions  beyond."  We  can  understand  the  deep  meaning  of  this. 
Four  of  the  Livingstonia  Mission  band  had  been  taken,  but  they 
had  left  something  behind  which  no  pestilence  could  ever  remove. 
They  were  dead,  but  yet  they  were  speaking  to  Nyasa's  sons  and 
daughters.  The  coral  insect  dies,  but  it  forms  an  island  in  mid- 
ocean  to  wave  with  harvests  for  the  good  of  man.  The  sun  sets 
over  the  western  hills,  but  it  leaves  behind  it  a  trail  of  light  to 
guide  men  onward.  The  tree  falls  and  becomes  buried  beneath 
the  ground ;  but  by  and  by  it  is  turned  into  coal,  and  our 
fires  burn  the  brighter  now  because  it  fell.  Even  so,  mission- 
aries toil  and  live  and  die,  but  the  good  that  they  do  lives  after 
them,  and  is  not  "buried  with  their  bones."  Dr  Black  and 
others  had  fallen,  but  Albert  Namalambe  and  many  dwellers 
by  the  Lake  Nyasa  arose  in  a  short  time  to  bear  witness  to  their 
labours. 


LOSSES  AND  REMOVAL  TO  BAND  AWE          137 

Perhaps  the  most  important  outcome  of  these  losses  was  the 
removal  of  the  Mission  Station  to  a  better  and  healthier  spot. 
These  losses  of  course  did  not  form  the  only  reason  for  the  change. 
All  who  are  acquainted  with  missionary  work  in  unexplored  lands 
know  that  a  change  of  site  has  sometimes  to  be  made  in  the  settle- 
ment of  a  mission  owing  to  matters  which  subsequently  arise.  So, 
in  connection  with  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  it  gradually  began  to 
be  realised  that  a  change  was  necessary  to  some  more  suitable  spot 
at  a  distance.  There  was  no  intention  of  abandoning  the  original 
site,  but  only  of  choosing  some  additional  one  which  would  be 
healthier  and  better  as  headquarters. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Cape  Maclear  had  much  to  re- 
commend it.  It  possessed  an  excellent  harbour,  and  from  its 
geographical  position  seemed  destined  to  be  the  capital  of  Nyasa- 
land.  With  its  pleasant  cool  breezes  from  the  Lake,  its  suitableness 
for  exploration,  its  inexhaustible  supply  of  fish,  its  abundance  of 
rice,  maize,  and  other  important  things,  it  was  vastly  preferable  to 
any  position  on  the  Lower  Shire",  and  was  the  best  place  that 
could  have  'been  chosen  at  which  to  make  a  beginning.  But,  it 
had  its  disadvantages,  apart  from  any  questions  of  health.  For 
one  thing  it  was  not  sufficiently  central.  It  was  not  adapted  for 
the  centre  of  a  continually  extending  mission.  Such  important 
tribes  as  the  Tonga,  on  the  west  shore,  and  the  Ngoni  Zulus,  on 
the  uplands,  west  of  the  Lake,  could  not  be  evangelised  from  it. 
As  Dr  Stewart  remarked  in  the  Assembly  of  1878,  after  his  return 
from  the  Mission,  it  would  be  necessary  "  either  to  make  a  change, 
or  let  go  the  original  idea  and  projection,  and  reduce  the  whole  to 
dwarfish  proportions,  very  different  from  what  was  at  first  intended." 
For  the  continued  success  of  the  Mission,  some  important  place 
from  which  all  the  various  tribes  could  be  reached  was  an  indis- 
pensable condition,  but  such  was  not  to  be  found  on  this  somewhat 
isolated  promontory. 

In  addition,  the  neighbourhood  was  infested  with  the  tsetse  fly, 
a  small,  but  certainly  a  formidable  foe  to  progress,  as  the  bite  of  it 
is  fatal  to  horses  and  cattle.  The  victim,  after  being  bitten,  suffers 
from  extreme  depression  and  loss  of  appetite,  and  ultimately  dies 
from  what  may  be  termed  a  species  of  blood-poisoning.  The 
existence  of  this  pest  has  been,  perhaps,  the  greatest  curse  of  South 
Central  Africa.  Fortunately,  it  is  now  disappearing  from  the  whole 
Protectorate,  as  it  has  disappeared  in  South  Africa  since  the  country 


138  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

was  cleared.  But,  during  the  early  years  at  Cape  Maclear,  it  was 
an  immense  drawback  to  successful  missionary  operations.  At 
first,  before  the  peopling  of  the  district,  and  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  missionaries  to  have  from 
ten  to  twenty  flies  on  their  back  at  a  time  in  going  through  the 
plain  to  the  rear  of  the  Station. 

In  regard  to  its  site,  therefore,  the  Livingstonia  Station  on  this 
low-lying,  isolated,  somewhat  unhealthy  promontory  was  far  from 
satisfactory.  It  could  not  be  compared  with  the  Blantyre  one  of 
the  Established  Church.  The  latter  was  situated  among  the  Shir£ 
Hills,  3000  feet  above  the  sea,  in  a  cool,  healthy  district.  It 
would  have  been  an  immense  benefit  if  the  Livingstonia  Mission 
had  obtained  such  a  perfect  site.  But  no  want  of  wisdom  can  be 
attributed  to  Mr  Young  and  his  party,  who  did  what  was  best  and 
most  convenient  at  the  time.  They  examined  as  much  of  the 
known  shore  of  the  Lake  as  they  could  in  a  week,  but  found  no 
other  place  where  the  Ilala  could  lie  with  the  same  safety,  sheltered 
from  the  prevailing  winds.  They  discovered  only  one  other  place 
which  could  claim  a  serious  consideration  alongside  of  it.  This 
was  in  Makanjira's  territory,  and,  had  they  gone  there,  they  would 
have  run  a  much  greater  risk  of  coming  into  open  collision  with 
the  slave  trade.  "I  can  perfectly  realise,"  wrote  Consul  Elton, 
"  the  many  difficulties  that  Mr  Young  must  have  found  in  his  way 
in  the  first  selection  of  a  site — rains  coming  on — men  to  house — 
attitude  of  natives  uncertain — goods  and  property  to  be  stored  and 
sheltered — steamer's  safety  to  be  secured.  He  acted  for  the  best, 
undoubtedly,  and  this  harbour  is  an  excellent  one;  but  for  an 
industrial  mission  the  site  is  badly  chosen."*  The  fact  is  that 
Mr  Young  and  his  party  acted  as  any  others  would  have  done  in 
similar  circumstances.  They  explored  the  southern  portion  of  the 
Lake  during  the  few  days  at  their  disposal,  and  fixed  on  what 
appeared  to  them  to  be  the  most  suitable  spot.  But  they  did  not 
expect  that  they  had  hit  upon  the  most  eligible  position  on  the 
whole  Lake,  and  they  fully  realised  that  in  time  to  come  it  might 
be  expedient  to  remove  to  some  other  locality. 

Consequently,  two  or  three  years  after  the  planting  of  the  Mission, 

the  Committee,  taking  everything  into  consideration,  instructed  the 

missionaries  to  make  no  extension  of  works  at  Cape  Maclear,  and 

to  complete  and  improve  those  already  existing,  only  so  far   as 

*  "  Lakes  and  Mountains  of  Africa,"  p.  278. 


LOSS£S  AND  REMOVAL  TO  BAND  AWE          139 

might  be  necessary  for  present  wants.  They  also  directed  them 
to  examine  the  west  side  of  the  Lake  for  a  better  position — one 
which  would  allow  of  a  good  harbour,  and  yet  be  as  free  as  possible 
from  danger  and  difficulty. 

This  work  of  discovering  a  better  site  was  interrupted  by  some 
of  the  Mission  staff  being  drafted  off  to  Blantyre  in  1877,  to  take 
temporary  charge  of  the  Established  Church  Mission  there.  It 
was,  however,  carried  on  at  times,  as  the  Mission  party  were  able. 
Dr  Stewart  and  I)r  Laws  explored  the  west  shore  of  the  Lake  as 
early  as  1877,  and  discovered  large  tracts  of  fine  country,  rich  in 
nature's  beauty,  and  thickly  populated.  They  found  that  this  shore 
might  be  divided  into  three  sections  of  about  a  hundred  miles 
each — the  southern,  the  middle,  and  the  northern.  The  southern 
was  too  marshy ;  and  the  northern  was  too  much  at  the  extreme 
end  of  the  Lake,  and  on  a  portion  of  this  section,  for  some  thirty 
or  forty  miles,  the  mountains  came  down  too  abruptly  on  the 
shore  to  afford  either  good  harbours  or  easy  access  to  the  country 
behind.  The  middle  section,  from  Mankambira's  to  Kota-Kota, 
was  found  to  be  the  best  for  the  purpose,  being  central,  and  rising 
gradually  backward  by  ranges  of  low  hills.  But  to  fix  on  a  suitable 
site  in  this  large  section  of  a  hundred  miles  was  no  easy  task.  It 
required  a  careful  examination  of  the  coast-line  to  find  a  suitable 
harbour,  together  with  a  great  deal  of  land  travelling  several  miles 
inland  to  discover  the  nature  of  the  country.  Any  place  selected 
required  to  have  good  soil  and  timber  in  abundance,  with  a 
plentiful  supply  of  water,  either  from  a  river  not  too  deeply  sunk 
in  its  channel,  or  from  an  ordinary-sized,  permanent  stream  rising 
above  the  site. 

Then,  in  1878,  Dr  Laws  and  Mr  James  Stewart,  C.E.,  carried 
through  a  great  land  journey  of  800  miles,  to  which  we  have 
already  referred,  leaving  the  Station  in  charge  of  Mr  John  Gunn. 
They  left  on  August  i2th,  taking  Mr.  William  Koyi  to  act  as 
interpreter  to  the  Ngoni  Zulus  on  the  uplands,  and  about  fifty 
natives  as  carriers  and  guides.  They  made  a  thorough  examination 
of  the  west  coast,  especially  of  the  middle  section,  and  visited 
Chikusi,  Chewere,  and  Chipatula,  who  were  powerful  chiefs  of  the 
Ngoni,  as  well  as  many  others,  most  of  whom  appeared  to  be 
favourable  to  the  Mission.  The  party  were  received  with  special 
kindness  by  Chipatula,  and  stayed  several  days  at  his  village, 
while  great  crowds  of  people  flocked  from  long  distances  to  see 


1 40  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

them.  Children  were  urged  out  that  they  might  be  able  to  tell 
posterity  of  the  wonderful  sight. 

As  a  result  of  all  these  explorations,  two  tentative  spots  were 
fixed  on,  viz.,  Marenga  or  Bandawe,  about  latitude  12°  south,  on 
the  shore  of  the  Lake,  two  days'  sail  from  Cape  Maclear ;  and 
Kaning'ina,  near  Chipatula's,  on  the  high  lands  or  large  plateau  to 
the  west.  Both  of  these  places  were  then  occupied  for  a  time  by 
some  of  the  Mission  staff,  who  took  observations  extending  to 
all  seasons  of  the  year,  making  careful  records  of  the  rainfall, 
temperature,  and  other  facts  connected  with  the  climate.  En- 
couraging services  were  commenced  at  both  places,  schools  were 
opened,  and  the  natives  soon  came  to  realise  the  object  of  the 
Mission,  and  were  anxious  for  the  white  men  to  settle  among 
them.  By  and  by,  however,  Kaning'ina  was  found  unsuitable,  as 
the  road  to  it  across  the  plains  from  Nkata  Bay  was  discovered  to 
be  almost  impassable  in  the  rainy  season,  and  in  addition  most  of 
the  people  left  the  district,  partly  through  fear  of  foes,  and  partly 
from  failure  of  their  cassava  crops.  For  these,  and  several  other 
reasons,  it  was  not  thought  advisable  to  continue  it,  and  in 
October  1879  i*  was  given  up. 

After  some  further  exploration  by  Mr  Stewart  to  the  north  and 
north-west,  and  also  along  the  east  coast,  no  spot  was  found  better 
or  more  accessible  than  Bandawe.  The  only  other  locality  in  any 
way  suitable  was  the  Rukuru  Valley — a  fertile,  well-watered,  and 
healthy  district — but  access  could  only  be  had  to  it  by  a  very 
difficult  path  a  few  miles  south  of  Mount  Waller.  Bandawe  was 
much  superior  to  such  a  place.  Although  it  was  perhaps  not  the 
healthiest  spot  that  existed  around  the  Lake,  nor  the  safest 
anchorage  for  the  steamer;  and  although  it  had  also  the  two 
disadvantages  of  being  on  the  Lake  shore,  without  any  altitude, 
and  of  not  possessing  a  stream  of  water,  by  means  of  which 
irrigation  could  be  carried  on,  it  was,  nevertheless,  immensely 
superior  to  every  other  place.  The  climate  was  decidedly  better 
than  at  Cape  Maclear.  The  soil  was  good,  and  indeed  the  best 
on  the  west  coast  The  district  was  the  most  populous  one  any- 
where on  the  Lake.  The  people,  called  "Tonga,"  were  of  a 
peaceful  and  friendly  character,  being  utterly  unlike  the  savage 
Zulus  inhabiting  the  high  lands ;  while  ready  access  could  be  had 
to  the  latter,  if  it  were  found  practicable  to  plant  a  mission  among 
them. 


LOSSES  AND  REMOVAL  TO  BAND  AWE          141 

Ultimately,  therefore,  after  much  careful  consideration,  Bandawe" 
was  fixed  on  as  the  new  headquarters  of  the  Mission.  Preparations 
for  the  removal  were  begun  in  March  1881.  A  house  for  Dr 
Laws,  houses  for  artizan  evangelists,  and  other  buildings  were 
erected  in  readiness  for  the  arrival  of  the  Mission  band.  A 
number  of  native  gardens  were  also  bought  up  beside  the  Station 
— a  step  which  was  taken,  not  so  much  for  the  sake  of  acquiring 
more  land,  as  of  gaining  compactness  and  regularity  in  the  Mission 
grounds,  and  of  obtaining  possession  of  the  land  lying  between 
the  site  of  the  houses  and  the  harbour.  By  having  this  satis- 
factorily settled  at  first,  much  future  trouble  was  avoided.  To 
this  new,  permanent  Station,  the  missionaries  finally  moved  in 
October  1881,  exactly  six  years  after  the  pioneer  party  sailed  into 
the  Lake — taking  with  them  all  their  goods,  as  well  as  the  Bandawe" 
boys  and  the  few  scholars  who  had  been  boarded  at  Cape  Maclear. 
This  date,  therefore,  marks  a  transition  stage  in  the  history  of  the 
Mission.  Henceforth  the  nature  of  its  work  was  the  same,  the 
fourfold  object  being  continued  exactly  as  before,  but  the  centre 
of  work  was  changed,  and  the  Mission's  influence  for  good  vastly 
increased. 

Cape  Maclear,  with  its  five  graves  and  empty  cottages,  was  left 
as  an  out-station  in  charge  of  a  few  natives  who  were  companions 
of  the  first  convert,  Albert  Namalambe",  and  like  him  had  been 
trained  in  the  Mission.  These  continued  the  meetings  there. 
The  Ilala  called  periodically  with  Dr  Laws,  or  some  other  white 
man,  to  inspect,  stimulate,  and  conduct  service.  Thus  there  were 
the  germs  of  a  little  Christian  community  left  behind  in  the  place 
as  a  useful  light  amid  the  darkness.  The  work  went  on  as  before 
— the  only  difference  really  being  that  the  place  was  now  wrought 
as  an  outpost.  By  and  by,  Albert  Namalambe',  the  first  convert, 
took  full  charge  of  the  whole  place,  and  under  his  guidance 
evangelistic  work  was  carried  on  at  several  of  the  outlying  villages. 
His  assistants  even  went  as  far  as  Ndindi  and  other  places  on  the 
west  coast,  carrying  the  message  of  salvation. 

It  is  most  pathetic  to  read  the  accounts  which  travellers  give 
of  this  "  deserted "  station.  Professor  Henry  Drummond,  who 
visited  Lake  Nyasa  in  1883,  at  the  head  of  a  scientific  expedition, 
describes  the  place  most  touchingly.  "A  neat  path  through  a 
small  garden  led  up  to  the  settlement,  and  I  approached  the 
largest  house  and  entered.  It  was  the  Livingstonia  Manse — the 


1 42  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

head  missionary's  house.  It  was  spotlessly  clean,  English  furniture 
was  in  the  room,  a  medicine  chest,  familiar-looking  dishes  were  in 
the  cupboards,  books  lying  about,  but  there  was  no  missionary  in 
it.  I  went  into  the  next  house.  It  was  the  school ;  the  benches 
were  there,  and  the  black-board,  but  there  were  no  scholars  and 
no  teachers.  I  passed  to  the  next,  and  to  the  next,  all  in  perfect 
order,  and  all  empty.  Then  a  native  approached  and  led  me  a 
few  yards  into  the  forest ;  and  there,  among  the  mimosa-trees, 
under  a  huge  granite  mountain,  were  four  or  five  graves.  These 
were  the  missionaries.  .  .  .  There  the  long  creepers  coil  and 
droop  over  their  graves.  A  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north,  on 
the  same  lake  coast,  the  remnant  of  the  missionaries  have  begun 
their  task  again,  and  there,  slowly,  against  fearful  odds,  they  are 
carrying  on  their  work." 

When  another  traveller,  Mr  Montagu  Kerr,  visited  the  place, 
he  was  equally  impressed.  He  describes  at  great  length  the 
surprise  which  he  received.  He  was  in  sore  need  of  food  and 
other  necessaries ;  and  it  was  with  many  hopeful  thoughts  that 
he  landed  on  the  longed-for  beach,  with  a  carefully  cherished 
letter  of  introduction  in  his  hand.  A  man  with  a  red  umbrella, 
who  met  him,  took  him  to  the  sad-looking  tombstones,  and  en- 
lightened him  regarding  the  removal  of  the  Mission.  "Very 
seek  country,"  he  said,  "all  dead,  all  gone,  all  gone  Bandawe." 
It  was  not  until  he  found  himself  within  four  white-washed  walls, 
the  "  deserted  "  home  of  one  of  the  missionaries,  that  he  realised 
the  full  meaning  of  the  black  man's  words.  "  In  a  moment,"  he 
writes,  "  all  my  long  cherished  hopes — the  hopes  that  had  chiefly 
cheered  me  in  protracted  adversity — that  I  would  be  welcomed  by 
a  smile  of  a  British  face  and  the  warm  grasp  of  a  British  hand, 
were  dashed  to  the  ground !  .  .  .  I  felt  as  though  I  was  sitting 
in  a  sepulchre.  A  yellow  flag  of  sickness  or  the  black  flag  of 
death  would  have  represented  the  situation." 

Such  graphic  accounts  by  travellers  are  very  pathetic,  but  they 
are  somewhat  incomplete  and  incorrect,  so  far  as  regards  the 
condition  of  the  Mission.  Readers  of  them  are  apt  to  entertain 
but  poor  impressions  of  the  work  at  Cape  Maclear  after  the 
withdrawal  of  the  white  men.  They  are  apt  to  imagine  it  as  a 
kind  of  failure,  and  to  paint  in  their  mind  most  affecting  pictures 
of  missionary  desertion,  desolation,  and  death.  They  are  ready 
almost  to  regard  the  withdrawal  as  a  breaking  up  of  the  Mission, 


LOSSES  AND  REMOVAL  TO  'BAND AWE          143 

a  mournful  blighting  of  missionary  hopes,  a  sad  and  unfortunate 
ending  to  six  years'  laborious  efforts.  This,  however,  would  be 
an  entire  misconception  of  the  actual  progress  of  the  Mission — 
the  very  opposite  indeed  of  the  truth.  When  these  and  other 
travellers  visited  the  spot,  Cape  Maclear  was  only  an  outpost, 
with  perhaps  a  somewhat  deserted  appearance,  and  by  no 
means  expressive  of  the  vast  work  carried  on  by  the  Mission. 
There  was  progress,  not  decay ;  increase,  not  failure ;  life,  not 
death. 

Mr  Montagu  Kerr's  disappointment  arose  from  the  fact  that 
in  almost  all  maps  of  the  district  the  name  "  Livingstonia  "  was 
for  a  long  time  retained  at  Cape  Maclear  after  the  removal  of 
the  Mission.  He  was  not  the  only  traveller  who  found  his 
way  thither  after  much  hardship,  in  the  hope  of  meeting  fellow- 
countrymen,  only  to  discover  after  all  that  his  information  was 
incorrect.  It  is  a  pity  that  so  many  excellent  geographers  should 
have  confounded  Livingstonia  with  Cape  Maclear  in  their  maps, 
and  given  rise  to  such  wrong  impressions.  It  is  a  mistake 
which  is  still  observable  in  some  otherwise  trustworthy  pro- 
ductions. 

But  to  continue  the  story.  After  the  removal  of  the  Mission 
in  1 8.8 1,  Bandawe"  became  the  centre  of  its  life  and  organisation. 
The  reader  may  picture  this  new  place  in  his  mind's  eye.  A 
point  of  land  jutting  well  out  into  the  Lake;  on  this,  some 
humble  European  houses,  with  a  "  brae "  of  three  quarters  of 
a  mile  to  them  from  the  water's  edge;  to  the  east,  the  vast 
expanse  of  Lake,  stretching  forty  miles  to  the  other  side;  to 
the  north  and  south,  beyond  the  water,  ranges  of  mountains 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  with  low  cultivated  or  grassy  plains 
between  them  and  the  Lake;  and  to  the  west,  hundreds  of 
populous  villages  dotted  here  and  there,  and  a  cluster  of 
towering  peaks,  over  6000  feet  high,  in  the  distance.  Such 
was  Bandawe1,  to  which  Dr  Laws  and  his  little  band  of  fellow- 
missionaries  removed.  It  was  beyond  doubt  a  good  command- 
ing position — better  than  any  other  along  the  Lake  shore. 
From  here,  not  only  the  Tonga,  but  the  Ngoni,  Konde,  and 
other  influential  tribes  could  be  evangelised,  while  all  around 
were  countless  multitudes  of  ignorant,  shameless,  superstitious 
people — all  of  them  tractable,  and  only  waiting  to  be  en- 
lightened. 


i44  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Here,  then,  in  this  beautiful  and  populous  locality,  the  mission- 
aries settled  down  at  once  to  renewed  work.  The  various  depart- 
ments were  soon  in  full  operation.  Evangelistic  meetings  were 
held  throughout  the  neighbourhood.  Crowds  gathered  to  hear 
the  white  men,  many  of  them  driven  down  by  the  raids  of  the 
fierce  Ngoni,  who  reigned  supreme  on  the  uplands.  Schools  were 
carried  on  with  much  enthusiasm,  and  developed  wonderfully  in 
a  short  time.  Medical  work  made  marvellous  progress,  thousands 
flocking  from  all  quarters  to  the  Mission  Station,  where  they  were 
healed  in  body,  and  also  received  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  heal  the 
deeper  and  spiritual  disease  of  their  nature.  Nor  was  this  all. 
The  Mission  extended  into  the  surrounding  regions  with  a  rapidity 
and  success  almost  unequalled  in  missionary  annals.  Through 
the  remarkable  energy  of  Dr  Laws,  and  his  enthusiastic  devotion 
to  the  work,  it  quickly  spread  in  all  directions,  in  a  way  which 
could  not  have  been  done  at  Cape  Maclear,  until  it  began  to 
take  possession  of  the  whole  west  side  of  the  Lake. 

All  this  proved  the  wisdom  of  the  change  to  Bandawe.  After 
all,  the  losses  and  difficulties  of  Cape  Maclear  had  been  blessings 
in  disguise.  They  were  the  fruitful  seeds  of  future  success.  They 
were  afflictions  productive  of  much  good.  They  were  like  the 
early  processes  of  the  soil,  when  it  is  broken  up  and  weeded,  in 
order  that  it  may  be  refreshed  and  bring  forth  fair  flowers.  They 
resembled  the  outpouring  and  beating  rain  that  comes  with  roaring 
violence,  shredding  off  the  leaves,  tearing  the  trees,  and  over- 
whelming the  grain,  only  to  be  followed  by  the  sunshine,  the 
fertile  plains  and  the  fruitful  harvest.  Through  these  dark, 
unfavourable  circumstances,  God  had  been  guiding  the  Mission 
party  into  a  better  place,  where  their  labours  might  be  abundantly 
blessed — an  important  centre  from  which  the  Gospel  light  might 
radiate  north,  south,  and  west  among  great  masses  of  heathen. 

"  All  is  of  God  !     If  He  but  wave  his  hand, 

The  mists  collect,  the  rains  fall  thick  and  loud, 
Till,  with  a  smile  of  light  on  sea  and  land, 

Lo  !  He  looks  back  from  the  departing  cloud. " 

The  extension  of  the  Mission  beyond  Bandawe'  and  Cape 
Maclear  was  carried  on  according  to  a  definite  plan.  When  the 
country  was  explored  by  Dr  Laws  and  Mr  Stewart  in  1878,  they 
fixed  on  certain  spots  on  the  west  coast  and  the  high  lands  above, 


LOSSES  AND  REMOVAL  TO  BAND  AWE          145 

which  were  considered  suitable  for  future  stations,  and  where 
work  might  be  commenced  whenever  the  door  was  opened 
and  the  men  and  means  were  forthcoming.  This  scheme, 
drafted  in  the  early  days  of  the  Mission,  was  gradually  followed. 
In  the  next  two  chapters  we  shall  glance  at  this  remarkable 
extension. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  FIERCE  NGONI 

A  TRAVELLER  in  Madeira  set  off  one  morning  to  reach  the  summit 
of  a  mountain  to  gaze  upon  the  distant  scene  and  enjoy  the  balmy 
air.  He  had  with  difficulty  ascended  some  two  thousand  feet  when 
a  thick  mist  was  seen  descending  and  obscuring  the  whole  face  of 
the  heavens.  He  thought  there  was  no  hope  left  but  at  once  to 
return  or  be  lost.  But  as  the  cloud  came  nearer,  and  darkness 
overshadowed  him,  his  guide  ran  on  before  him,  penetrating  the 
mist,  and  calling  to  him  ever  and  anon,  saying,  "  Press  on,  master  ; 
press  on ;  there's  light  beyond  ! "  He  did  press  on  ;  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  mist  was  passed,  and  he  gazed  upon  a  scene  of  trans- 
cendant  beauty.  All  was  bright  and  cloudless  above ;  while 
beneath  was  the  almost  level  mist  glistening  in  the  rays  of  the  sun 
like  a  field  of  untrodden  snow.  This  traveller's  experience  records 
the  history  of  the  Gospel  in  North  Ngoniland,  where  the  first 
additional  station  was  planted  by  our  Livingstonia  missionaries  in 
1882.  It  is,  to  begin  with,  a  history  of  gathering  clouds,  beneath 
whose  gloomy  shadows  they  stood  dismayed.  But  as  they  pressed 
on,  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  penetrated  the  deep  darkness, 
they  found  themselves  surrounded  by  the  glorious  light  of 
heaven. 

The  nature  and  character  of  the  fierce  Ngoni,  or  Maviti  tribes, 
in  whose  uplands  this  station  was  planted,  will  be  best  understood 
if  we  refer  to  their  history.  Their  ancestors  were  "  military  heads," 
and  were  driven  away  from  South  Africa  during  the  disturbances 
arising  from  the  policy  of  the  fierce  Zulu  king,  Chaka.  Under 
Zongandaba,  their  great  leader,  they  wandered  about  for  many 
years,  striving  to  excel  other  Zulus  in  butchery  and  cruelty.  Wher- 
ever they  went  they  carried  on  an  aggressive  warfare,  annihilating 
weaker  tribes,  and  leaving  behind  them  the  trail  of  fire  and  sword. 
From  the  Zulu  king,  Chaka,  who  has  been  called  the  Napoleon  of 
South  Africa,  they  had  learned  how  to  organise  fighting  men  into 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  I47 

regiments  and  companies ;  and  now,  as  they  roamed  about,  they 
gave  vent  to  all  their  warlike  propensities.  As  they  marched 
through  many  regions  they  almost  extinguished  those  who  opposed 
them,  sacrificing  human  life  to  an  unspeakable  degree.  At  last, 
wandering  northward,  they  crossed  the  Zambesi  in  1825,  and 
invaded  the  Central  regions.  Here  Zongandaba  died  in  the  Fipa 
country,  near  Lake  Tanganyika,  and  on  his  death,  what  had  been 
one  body  of  people,  ruled  by  one  supreme  chief,  became  broken 
up  into  many  fragments.  Most  of  these  settled  down  on  the  high 
table-land  to  the  west  of  Lake  Nyasa.  Those  Ngoni,  to  whom  we 
refer,  on  the  uplands  about  forty  miles  north-west  of  Bandawe",  were 
a  powerful  and  warlike  fragment.  Under  Mombera,  Mtwaro,  and 
Mperembe,  sons  of  Zongandaba,  they  acted  as  the  rulers  of  the 
upland  country  for  hundreds  of  miles,  the  original  tribes  being 
either  incorporated  with  them  or  kept  in  subjection  to  them. 

As  we  have  said,  they  were  fierce  and  bloodthirsty,  and  accus- 
tomed to  prey  upon  their  weaker  neighbours.  Their  appearance 
with  immense  ear-knobs  of  ivory  or  bone,  and  with  the  peculiar 
jingling  sound  which  came  from  strings  of  black  seeds  (from  wild 
banana)  which  they  carried  about  on  their  bodies,  was  enough  to 
strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  all  surrounding  tribes.  They  were 
not  unlike  the  terrible  Masai,  near  Uganda,  through  whose  country 
no  stranger  cared  to  travel. 

The  people  who  suffered  most  from  their  brutal  raids  were  the 
Tonga  and  other  tribes  on  the  Lake  shore  near  Bandawe.  These 
tribes  were  peacably  inclined,  had  numerous  canoes  and  excellent 
fishing-nets,  and  were  tolerably  well  off,  but  the  dread  of  the  Ngoni 
beclouded  their  lives.  They  were  often  compelled  to  huddle 
themselves  together  in  thousands  inside  stockades,  or  live  on  the 
small  rocky  islands  in  the  Lake,  or  on  piles  beyond  wading  depth, 
in  order  to  be  safe — a  life  which  involved  a  great  amount  of  suffer- 
ing, with  poor  food  and  wretched  huts.  Thousands  of  them  settled 
in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  Bandawe  to  get  the  protection 
of  the  white  men.  Indeed,  the  history  of  the  Mission  in  its  earlier 
years  is  darkened  with  massacre  and  cruelty,  enacted  by  these  wild 
Ngoni  upon  the  Lake  tribes,  and  is  a  standing  record  of  how 

"  Man's  inhumanity  to  man 
Makes  countless  thousands  mourn." 

In  regard  to  spiritual   matters  the  minds  of  the  Ngoni  were 


148  D A? 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

almost  blank.  Being  Zulus,  they  had  no  religion — properly  so- 
called.  They  believed,  of  course,  in  a  Creator  of  men  and  all 
things.  They  had  also  their  priests,  or  mediums  of  communica- 
tion with  the  spirit  world ;  for  they  were  superstitious,  and  like  the 
theosophists,  believed  in  spirits  or  ghosts.  They  could  not  see 
these  phantoms — the  spirits  of  their  ancestors,  as  they  called  them 
— with  the  naked  eye,  but  they  believed  in  them,  worshipped 
them  in  a  way,  honoured  them,  and  thanked  them.  Otherwise 
they  had  no  religion  or  spiritual  ideas,  but  under  their  great  chief, 
Mombera,  lived  year  after  year  a  life  of  warfare  and  plunder  in 
utter  ignorance  of  God.  It  is  hard  for  us,  in  this  Christian, 
enlightened  land,  to  have  even  the  faintest  conception  of  their 
heathenism  and  corruption.  Nowadays  we  hardly  know  what 
corrupt  human  nature  is  :  we  see  it  only  after  centuries  of  culture 
and  civilisation.  But  among  these  bloodthirsty  warriors  in  Central 
Africa  it  could  be  seen  in  its  extreme  depth. 

These,  then,  were  the  people  among  whom  Dr  Laws  was 
anxious  to  raise  the  banner  of  the  Gospel.  He  visited  Ngoniland 
as  early  as  September  1878,  and  again  in  January  1879,  in  order 
to  establish  friendly  relations  with  them  and  pave  the  way  for  a 
Station.  He  spoke  seriously  yet  cautiously  to  them  about  their 
cruelty  and  warlike  actions,  advising  them  to  have  patience  in 
dealing  with  other  tribes,  and  to  live  in  peace,  and  explained  that 
the  object  of  the  missionaries  was  a  friendly  one — to  teach  the 
people  about  God.  In  reply,  both  chief  and  headmen  expressed  a 
desire  to  have  a  missionary  among  them,  and  even  wanted  Dr  Laws 
to  made  Ngoniland  the  headquarters  of  the  Mission.  "Why," 
they  exclaimed,  "  do  you  not  come  up  and  live  with  us  ?  Can 
you  milk  fish,  that  you  remain  at  the  Lake  ?  Come  up  and  live 
here,  and  we  will  give  you  cattle.  We  are  the  rulers  of  the  land  : 
all  others  are  beneath  us." 

Dr  Laws  would  have  placed  a  missionary  among  them  without 
delay,  but  only  a  Zulu  or  Kafir  would  have  been  suitable,  as  few 
of  the  real  Ngoni  understood  the  Nyanja  language.  William  Koyi 
and  Mapas  Ntintili,  whom  Dr  Stewart  had  taken  to  the  Mission  in 
1876,  and  who  were  the  only  Kafirs  now  available,  were  about  to 
return  to  South  Africa  on  furlough,  and  no  more  could  be  obtained 
from  Lovedale  on  account  of  the  backward  state  of  the  funds  at 
home. 

Later  on,  in  July  1879,  Mr  John  W.  Moir,  one  of  the  managers 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  149 

of  the  African  Lakes  Company,  visited  the  country  on  his  way  to 
the  Senga  region.  He  remained  two  days  at  the  head  chiefs,  and 
was  treated  in  a  most  friendly  way.  Later  still,  in  September  of 
the  same  year,  Mr  James  Stewart  camped  in  the  country  on  his 
road  to  Tanganyika ;  but  he  only  saw  inferior  headmen,  who 
expressed  disappointment  that  the  white  men  had  not  come  to 
settle  among  them.  He  found  them  sincere  in  their  desire  to 
make  friendship,  but  discovered,  as  Dr  Laws  had  done,  that 
nothing  but  an  exclusive  alliance  would  suit  them.  They  wished 
the  white  man  all  to  themselves,  in  order  to  have  his  power  in 
destroying  their  enemies. 

It  was  not  until  two  or  three  months  after  the  settlement  of  the 
Mission  at  Bandaw£  that  Dr  Laws  found  himself  able,  owing  to 
the  return  of  William  Koyi  from  South  Africa,  to  take  active 
measures  for  preaching  Christ  to  these  warriors.  As  this  dark- 
skinned  missionary  was  acquainted  with  Zulu  prejudices  and  mode 
of  thought,  as  well  as  the  Zulu  language,  he  sent  him  as  soon  as 
possible  up  to  Ngoniland.  He  considered  it  better  that  this  young 
Kafir  should  venture  alone,  and  spend  some  time  in  conversation 
with  this  dreaded  tribe,  in  order  to  win  them  over  to  the  cause  of 
the  Mission. 

It  was  in  January  1882  that  William  Koyi  went  up,  accom- 
panied by  three  men  to  act  as  guides.  He  went  first  to  the 
district  of  Chipatula,  a  headman,  who  was  a  staunch  friend  to  the 
white  men.  Here  he  did  courageous  service,  and  actually  paid 
frequent  visits  to  Mombera,  the  great  chief,  who  lived  about  two 
miles  away.  He  found,  however,  that  this  representative  of 
government  was  rather  suspicious  of  the  missionaries,  and  re- 
luctant to  admit  them  into  his  country,  being  afraid,  no  doubt, 
that  they  would  condemn  the  plundering  and  massacring  of  weaker 
tribes.  So  far,  therefore,  there  was  not  much  encouragement  to  go 
forward. 

In  April,  however,  of  the  same  year,  when  a  truce  for  a  time 
had  taken  place  between  the  Ngoni  and  Tonga,  Dr  Laws,  Dr 
Hannington,  and  Mr  Koyi  prepared  a  special  expedition,  and 
visited  this  powerful  chief  to  see  what  could  be  done.  After  some 
trouble  and  detention  for  a  fortnight,  a  meeting  of  the  headmen 
was  convened,  and  it  was  considered  whether  the  white  men 
should  be  allowed  to  settle  in  the  district.  There  was  still  a  bitter 
feeling  towards  the  Tonga  tribes  on  the  Lake  shore ;  and  a  deter- 


1 50  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

mined  effort  was  made  to  get  the  missionaries  to  condemn  them, 
but  this  they  declined  to  do.  They  were  nevertheless  invited  to 
settle  down  and  to  commence  work. 

We  take  some  extracts  from  a  letter  by  Dr  Laws,  describing 
this  interesting  visit  to  Ngoniland  : 

"By  easy  marches  westward,  we  climbed  the  hills,  and  found 
ourselves  in  a  cold  bracing  atmosphere,  very  agreeable  to  us  as  a 
change  from  the  Lake,  but  not  at  all  relished  by  our  porters,  who 
felt  the  cold  intensely. 

"  An  easy  march  on  Monday  brought  us  to  Chipatula's  village, 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Kasitu,  and  within  sight  of  Mombera's 
village,  which  is  built  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Here  we 
were  welcomed,  and  pitched  our  tents  outside  the  village.  Chipa- 
tula  went  across  to  Mombera,  who  was  ill,  and  told  him  of  our 
arrival.  We  waited  at  Chipatula's  village  without  visiting  Mombera, 
in  order  that  he  might  gather  his  councillors,  and  that  we  might 
thus  be  received  by  them  in  their  collective  capacity.  On  Tuesday, 
May  2nd,  we  heard  that  they  were  come  and  were  discussing  the 
question.  The  following  afternoon  we  were  invited  to  come  to 
the  council.  We  went  to  Mombera's  village,  and  after  sitting 
some  time  in  the  cattle  kraal,  were  invited  to  a  large  hut,  where 
we  found  Mtwaro  (brother  of  Mombera,  and  heir-apparent)  and 
Mahalule  already  seated.  Others  followed  us  till  thirty  had 
assembled,  and  guard  was  set  at  the  door  to  prevent  further  in- 
trusion. We  learned  that,  owing  to  his  illness,  Mombera  would 
not  be  present  himself,  but  had  commissioned  Mtwaro  to  act  for 
him,  and  report  our  statements  to  him. 

"  After  expressing  regret  at  Mombera's  illness,  we  told  them 
that  the  great  object  of  our  coming  was  to  bring  to  them  the  Word 
of  God,  to  teach  people  the  contents  of  this  book,  and  to  teach 
children  to  read  it  for  themselves ;  that  also  we  wished  to  teach 
them  some  of  the  civilised  arts,  and  to  give  medicine  to  the  sick. 
We  disclaimed  any  desire  to  take  part  in  their  quarrels  with  other 
people.  As  we  were  commanded  to  carry  the  Word  of  God  to  all 
people,  so  we  must  be  the  friends  of  all,  and  not  of  one  tribe  or 
party  merely.  The  headmen  then  began  to  speak  in  turn,  all  ex- 
pressing themselves  favourably  with  regard  to  our  coming,  and 
assuring  us  of  their  friendship.  They  would  like  us  to  abandon 
our  Station  on  the  Lake  shore,  and  live  with  them  only  ;  and 
should  the  Tonga  interfere  with  the  passage  of  our  goods 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  151 

up  to  the  hills,  they  would  make  a  road  for  us  with  their 
spears. 

"  By  the  time  we  had  got  this  length  the  hut  was  getting  very 
close  and  uncomfortable,  and  the  sun  beginning  to  set  brought  the 
conference  to  a  close.  Next  morning,  however,  we  again  met  in 
council  in  the  cattle  kraal,  Mombera  himself  being  present,  but 
looking  thin  and  ill.  The  same  ground  was  gone  over,  and  a 
distinct  pledge  of  protection  was  given  by  an  aged  councillor  in 
presence  of  the  chief  and  his  council.  We  gave  Mombera  several 
useful  articles  in  the  shape  of  blankets,  cloth,  knives,  beads,  a 
mirror,  and  a  folding  chair,  with  which  he  seemed  very  much 
delighted.  To  the  councillors  smaller  presents  were  given,  so  as 
to  remove  any  cause  of  jealousy.  They  said  that  we  were  now 
free  of  the  country,  and  were  looked  upon  as  being  like  themselves. 

"  We  explained  to  them  that  we  could  not  then  promise  that  a 
European  would  be  living  with  them  constantly,  but  that  we  would 
leave  Mr  Koyi  with  them,  who,  knowing  their  language,  could 
teach  them  and  read  God's  Word  to  them ;  and  with  this  arrange- 
ment they  expressed  themselves  satisfied." 

Services  were  then  carried  on  every  Sabbath  at  Chipatula's 
village.  A  school  was  also  opened  there,  but  unfortunately,  after 
a  fortnight,  Mombera  forbade  it.  "I  must  first,"  he  said,  "learn 
what  is  being  taught  myself."  Evidently  he  and  his  headmen 
were  still  in  doubt  of  the  missionaries,  and  of  the  whole  operations 
of  the  Mission.  They  saw  only  too  clearly  that  with  such  teaching 
they  could  not  maintain  their  position  as  an  unassailable,  warlike 
tribe  preying  upon  weaker  neighbours.  Darkened  though  their 
consciences  were,  they  knew  that  the  ten  commandments  would 
undermine  their  customs,  and  even  their  existence  as  a  warrior 
people,  and  that  this  Mission,  instead  of  giving  them  any  new 
power,  would  act  as  a  constant  drag  upon  their  life.  Hence 
they  thought  it  best  to  stop  the  school  work  from  the  com- 
mencement. 

But  providentially  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  was  not  forbidden. 
It  was  allowed  to  continue  under  Mr  Koyi.  His  liberty,  however, 
was  circumscribed — he  could  not,  and  he  dare  not  as  yet,  extend 
his  sphere  beyond  Chipatula's.  But  he  made  up  his  mind  to  live 
down  all  misunderstanding  and  disarm  the  suspicions  of  the  chief. 
And  so  he  preached  constantly  to  the  few  who  were  not  too 
haughty  to  listen  to  him,  and  held  the  fort  bravely  amid  the 


152 


DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGS'IVNIA 


opposition  of  this  savage  tribe.  He  did  not  wait  for  the  people  to 
come  to  his  meetings  :  he  went  and  had  long  talks  with  them.  In 
this  way  he  imparted  a  large  amount  of  instruction  on  spiritual 
topics  and  on  the  conditions  of  civilised  life,  and  cultivated  a 
feeling  of  friendliness  among  many  who  were  opposed  to  him.  It 
was  a  noble  work  which  no  European  could  have  accomplished. 
The  people  were  jealous  and  conservative  in  the  extreme,  and  by 
no  means  ready  to  credit  disinterested  motives  in  others ;  but  with 
amazing  courage  this  young  and  earnest  Kafir  set  himself  to  win 
their  confidence  and  obtain  their  respect. 

He  had  a  good  deal  of  anxiety.  The  sickening  sights  and 
hideous  sounds  were  enough  to  break  any  man's  heart.  "  A 
woman  carrying  a  pot  of  beer  would  be  killed  in  broad  daylight  in 
order  to  get  the  beer  and  prevent  detection.  A  scream  would  be 
heard  in  the  evening,  and  on  enquiring  the  cause  he  would  be 
told  that  it  was  a  worn-out  slave  who  had  been  put  out  for  the 
hyenas  to  devour,  as  being  no  longer  able  to  take  care  of  himself. 
Skeletons  of  persons  murdered  could  have  been  seen  lying  about 
many  villages  and  in  the  bush."  Similar  records  have  been  left 
by  him,  which  it  turns  one's  heart  to  read. 

Some  of  the  Ngoni  movements,  too,  were  not  calculated  to  give 
him  comfort.  First,  Mombera's  son  died,  and  then  one  of  his 
principal  headmen ;  and  some  blamed  the  "  English "  for  being 
the  cause  of  these  deaths.  To  test  the  matter,  muavi  poison  was 
given  to  two  fowls.  Both  vomited,  and  thus,  according  to  their 
superstitious  ideas,  the  "  English  "  were  not  guilty.  There  is  no 
saying  what  might  have  happened  if  the  test  had  gone  the  other 
way.  Probably  massacre  of  the  missionaries  and  destruction  of 
the  entire  Mission  would  have  followed.  We  cannot  thank  God 
enough  for  His  providential  dealing,  and  for  the  protection 
which  He  gave  to  this  faithful  Kafir  missionary  in  these  dark 
days. 

In  time  Mombera  began  to  show  himself  more  friendly,  and 
gave  permission  to  preach  in  all  his  villages,  although  still  forbid- 
ding school  work.  Before  the  year  1882  had  closed  William 
Koyi  had  occasional  services  in  Mombera's  kraal.  But  alas  !  a 
new  obstacle  arose  in  the  persistent  indifference  and  unbelief  of 
the  people.  We  know  what  immense  hindrances  there  are  in  our 
own  country,  where  the  ranks  of  the  indifferent  are  so  many  and 
so  crowded.  Ministers  and  other  Christian  workers  find  it  no 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  153 

easy  matter  to  cope  with  that  easy  nonchalance  with  which  men 
pass  by  great  and  solemn  enquiries,  and  dispel  from  their  minds 
all  convictions  of  religion.  William  Koyi  had  now  something  of 
this  to  experience.  Amid  all  his  descriptions  of  a  Saviour's  love, 
the  dead,  unenlightened  eye  of  the  Ngoni  never  sparkled;  no 
bosom  heaved ;  no  tongue  uttered  God's  praise ;  no  man,  woman, 
or  child  showed  the  least  desire  to  obey  the  Gospel.  It  was 
terrible  !  A  few  of  the  common  people — the  slaves — listened  to 
the  message  with  apparent  gladness,  but  that  was  all.  "  It  is  very 
good,"  they  said ;  "  but  we  cannot  accept  it  before  our  chiefs  and 
superiors."  They  thought  that  to  do  so  would  be  presumption  on 
their  part ;  and  as  for  the  "  chiefs  and  superiors  " — the  real  Ngoni 
— they  were  too  haughty  to  bow  before  a  crucified  Jesus.  They 
did  not  oppose  the  Gospel  in  any  way,  but  none  of  them  would 
truly  accept  it.  All  that  they  wanted,  in  fact,  was  earthly  power 
and  advantage.  They  allowed  the  missionaries  to  live  with  them 
and  visit  them  because  they  cured  diseases  and  sold  them  calico 
and  beads,  and  because  they  regarded  their  presence  as  an  honour. 
But  they  had  no  desire  for  the  Gospel  of  the  white  man  or  for  any 
instruction. 

Dark  clouds  continued  to  obscure  the  rising  sun.  Sometimes 
there  was  much  beer  drinking  and  sensuality  at  Mombera's 
village,  and  great  war-dances,  at  which  his  large  kraal  was  full  of 
armed  men,  while  many  others  stood  outside  unable  to  get  in. 
Such  gatherings  gave  Mr  Koyi  much  distress,  especially  as 
Mombera  veiled  the  purpose  of  them  from  him.  There  was 
evidently  war  in  prospect.  Rumours  pointed  to  a  combination 
of  the  forces  of  Mwasi  and  Mombera  for  an  attack  on  Jumbe, 
the  great  Mahommedan  chief  at  Kota-Kota,  with  the  help  of 
Makanjira  from  the  east  side  of  the  Lake.  Jumbe  was  fast 
building  a  strong  stockade,  and  was  laying  in  great  stores  of 
provisions,  so  as  to  be  able  to  stand  a  siege.  There  were 
startling  rumours  also  of  an  attack  on  the  Tonga  by  some  Ngoni 
chiefs. 

On  account  of  such  circumstances  Dr  Laws  deemed  it  necessary 
to  revisit  Mombera,  and  accordingly,  in  October  1883,  he  pro- 
ceeded, along  with  Dr  Scott,  to  Ngoniland.  "At  the  river 
Luweya,"  says  Dr  Laws,  "the  day  after  leaving  we  heard  that 
an  Ngoni  army  had  already  started  for  the  Lake  shores.  On 
crossing  a  ridge  of  hills  some  three  miles  from  the  Station,  we 


i54  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

saw  a  number  of  the  Ngoni  warriors  coming  along  the  path  on 
which  we  were,  and  perhaps  a  mile  distant.  We  gathered  our 
goods  and  carriers  together,  and  sat  down  on  the  tops  of  our 
boxes,  and  waited  till  they  passed  us.  A  grim  savage  set  they 
were — armed  with  skin  shield,  club,  a  stabbing,  and  two  light 
spears.  Younger  lads  carried  provisions,  etc.  As  they  marched 
past  in  single  file,  some  shouted  their  war  cries  and  whistles ; 
others  asked  why  we  came  up  just  now,  when  they  were  coming 
down  to  pay  us  a  visit;  others  furnished  us  with  the  kindly 
assurance  that  on  our  return  we  would  find  no  wives  to  cook  our 
porridge  for  us,  etc.  In  the  evening  Mr  Koyi  went  across  to 
Mombera  to  tell  him  of  our  arrival,  and  to  ask  him  to  send  a 
message  to  the  warriors  that  at  least  they  were  not  to  interfere 
with  our  Station.  Mombera  said  that  this  had  been  set  about 
without  his  consent,  and  that  he  could  not  interfere  in  the  matter ; 
but  that  we  might  get  away  soon,  he  would  see  us  to-morrow,  and 
thus  allow  of  our  speedy  return." 

It  was  not,  however,  until  several  days  afterwards  that  Dr  Laws 
had  an  opportunity  of  meeting  these  councillors  and  discussing 
missionary  matters  with  them.  He  reminded  them  of  what  he 
had  said  to  them  before — how  he  and  his  friends  wished  to  teach 
God's  Word,  heal  the  sick,  and  educate  the  young.  He  thanked 
them  for  the  permission  already  given  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and 
asked  them  now  to  extend  it  to  teaching  the  young  also.  But 
he  found  these  old  men  as  wily  as  ever.  They  were  afraid  that 
if  the  children  were  taught  by  the  white  men  they  would  refuse 
to  help  in  cattle-stealing  and  in  plundering,  and  the  Ngoni  would 
no  longer  be  a  powerful  tribe.  In  reply,  he  showed  them  a  better 
way  of  growing  rich  than  by  plundering  weaker  tribes,  and  told 
them  how  nations  had  become  great  by  receiving  God's  Word, 
while  others,  rejecting  it,  had  been  swept  away.  The  discussion, 
however,  was  almost  fruitless.  No  permission  was  given  for 
school  work,  and  Dr  Laws  and  Dr  Scott  returned  disappointed. 

On  reaching  Bandaw£  they  found  the  villages  deserted,  and  the 
people  living  in  the  bush  for  fear  of  the  Ngoni  attack.  A  few 
days  afterwards  it  took  place  in  the  early  morning.  Some  poor, 
sick,  old  women,  who  could  not  escape,  were  killed,  houses  were 
burned,  and  even  a  new  Mission  school  was  set  fire  to.  The 
natives  fled  in  hundreds  to  Dr  Laws  at  Bandawe",  and  panic- 
stricken,  they  crowded  over  the  fences — anywhere  near  the  white 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  155 

man's  house.  Had  the  Ngoni  ventured  up  to  them,  the  butchery, 
Dr  l^aws  assures  us,  would  have  been  horrible ;  but  they  were 
satisfied  with  their  plunder,  and  retreated  homewards. 

From  July  1882,  Mr  Koyi  had  had  the  company  and  assistance 
of  Mr  James  Sutherland,  a  most  devoted  worker  for  Christ,  but 
he  was  much  cheered  by  the  arrival,  in  the  beginning  of  1884,  of 
another  Kafir  evangelist,  George  Williams,  and  later  on,  of  Mrs 
Koyi  also.  Inspired  with  new  courage,  he  managed  to  get 
another  meeting  of  the  councillors  in  November  1884,  to  con- 
sider the  instruction  of  the  children  ;  but  again  no  permission 
was  granted,  although  the  meeting  lasted  the  greater  part  of  a 
day.  "Give  the  book  to  Mombera,"  they  said,  "and  he  will 
teach  the  children."  Whenever  Mombera  did  visit  the  mission- 
house,  Mr  Koyi  commenced  to  teach  him  the  ABC,  but  before 
any  progress  could  be  made  the  chief  usually  exclaimed,  "Get 
out  of  this ;  give  me  cloth,"  and  so  on. 

This  subject  of  begging  was  one  of  continual  harassment  to 
the  Mission.  To  some  extent  it  was  found  necessary  to  give 
occasionally,  especially  to  head  chiefs,  but  to  do  so  to  the  length 
of  their  demands,  or  to  extend  this  principle  too  far,  would  have 
been  like  a  heavy  blackmail,  and  would  speedily  have  ruined  the 
Mission.  All  sorts  of  tricks  were  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of 
getting  valuable  presents.  Even  the  Chipatula  family  became 
greatly  discontented.  They  complained  angrily  of  not  receiving 
presents,  and  threatened  the  Tonga  with  war  on  this  account ! 
They  actually  sent  a  war-party  down  to  the  Lake  to  get  cloth  by 
any  means  in  their  power.  Alas !  After  all,  the  Gospel  was 
nothing :  it  was  calico  and  other  things  they  wanted,  so  indifferent 
were  they  to  all  things  spiritual  and  eternal. 

Fierce  raids  continued  to  be  made  by  the  Ngoni  in  all  direc- 
tions, especially  upon  the  poor  Lake  tribes,  who  were  kept  in  daily 
dread  of  these  cruel  oppressors.  It  was  evident  that  Mombera 
was  unwilling  to  prevent  these  things.  Whole  districts  were 
ravaged  every  now  and  then,  and  many  wretched  captives  were 
dragged  away  to  Ngoniland.  A  wild  raid  would  be  made  at 
sunset  by  these  savage  warriors — all  unexpectedly — upon  some 
defenceless  village  near  Bandawe".  They  would  stab  madly  on 
every  side,  and  then  rush  wildly  back  to  their  fastnesses  on  the 
hills.  In  the  morning  a  multitude  of  women  and  children  would 
be  found  ghastly,  and  covered  with  gore.  Such  scenes  always 


1 56  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

followed  these  attacks,  for  the  Ngoni  did  not  consider  themselves 
men  until  they  had  shed  blood.  Their  raids  were  not  to  revenge 
any  wrongs,  but  purely  from  a  love  of  war  and  plunder.  No 
wonder  that  many  Tonga,  especially  women  and  children,  fled 
from  their  quiet  villages  on  the  first  rumour  of  an  Ngoni  approach, 
and  settled  down  in  Bandawe",  feeling  themselves  much  safer  under 
the  protecting  hand  of  Dr  Laws.  The  Bandawe  Mission  Journal 
reads  in  some  places  like  the  history  of  a  bloody  campaign,  owing 
to  the  frequent  attacks  of  these  mountain  warriors. 

A  fresh  stage  in  the  work  was  entered  upon  in  the  beginning 
of  1885.  It  was  in  February  of  that  year  that  Dr  Walter  A. 
Elmslie,  M.B.,  C.M.,  arrived  in  the  country  to  help  in  the 
evangelisation  of  Ngoniland.  Being  a  man  of  unique  character, 
admirably  adapted  for  the  work,  his  arrival  is  an  important  factor 
in  the  history  of  the  Mission.  His  genuineness  and  consistency, 
his  carefulness  and  prudence,  his  patient  energy,  his  self-sacrificing 
heroism  in  all  moments  of  danger,  and  his  Christian  modesty, 
as  well  as  his  excellent  medical  abilities,  place  him  by  the  side  of 
our  greatest  missionaries.  Our  readers  may  imagine  what  a 
power  he  wielded  on  account  of  his  medical  skill  alone.  The 
Ngoni  were  a  superstitious  people,  and  constantly  in  the  hands 
of  their  native  doctors,  who  were  trusted  to  the  utmost  as  the 
only  channels  of  communication  with  the  spirit-world.  Real 
medical  skill  was  the  very  thing  to  uproot  these  superstitions,  and 
prepare  the  ground  for  the  entrance  of  the  Gospel. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  Dr  Elmslie  visited  Mombera,  to  inform 
him  of  his  willingness  to  attend  to  all  the  sick  who  might  wish 
help.  A  meeting  of  councillors  was  summoned  in  the  large  cattle 
kraal  of  the  village  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say. 

"  Lengthy  speeches,"  says  Dr  Elmslie,  "  were  made  by  three  of 
the  councillors,  to  each  of  which  we  had  an  opportunity  of 
replying.  All  the  speakers  expressed  their  indebtedness  that 
we  should  have  come  amongst  them,  and  especially  that  now 
they  would  have  the  benefit  of  a  doctor.  The  question  of 
making  war  was  fully  entered  into.  The  speakers  declared  that 
they  could  not  see  their  way  as  a  tribe  to  give  up  going  out  to 
war.  They  wished  to  learn  the  Word  of  God,  but  when  it  said 
that  they  must  not  kill  or  steal,  it  was  plain  to  them  that  if  the 
children  were  taught  they  would  grow  up  cowards,  and  would  not 
uphold  the  honour  of  the  tribe,  whose  foundation  is  the  spear  and 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  157 

shield ;  so  that,  as  they  could  not  see  how  they  could  live  to  be 
laughed  at  by  the  other  tribes,  they  must  disallow  the  teaching 
of  the  children.  It  was  proposed  that  if  we  would  permit  them 
to  go  away  once  more  to  steal  cattle,  they  would,  on  their  return, 
if  we  would  pray  that  they  be  successful,  give  us  some  cattle,  and 
then  settle  down  and  command  all  the  tribe  to  receive  the  Word 
of  God. 

"The  councillors  were  perfectly  unanimous  in  wishing  me  to 
reside  among  them,  and  that  they  would  give  me  all  protection, 
and  consider  me  one  of  themselves.  Though  the  question  of 
opening  a  school  is  no  further  advanced  than  when  Dr  Laws  met 
the  council  three  years  ago,  it  is  not  a  hopeless  matter ;  and  from 
what  transpired  at  the  meeting,  and  from  what  I  have  learned 
from  the  others  of  the  history  of  the  Mission,  I  do  not  consider 
it  wise  to  press  the  question  forcibly  until  the  influence  of  our 
presence  here  has  further  uprooted  their  superstition  and 
prejudices.  To  have  patience  is  the  way  to  hasten  this." 

And  so  matters  went  on  as  before — only  with  Dr  Elmslie's 
powerful  help  the  Gospel  made  a  deal  of  progress,  in  spite  of  the 
opposition  and  indifference  in  high  places.  The  common  people 
and  slaves  accepted  it  as  good  news,  and  gave  the  missionaries 
much  encouragement  to  go  on.  The  moral  tone  of  the  people 
became  elevated.  They  began  to  clothe  themselves  decently, 
except  when  they  wore  the  war-dress ;  and  they  showed  other 
signs  of  modesty.  They  commenced  to  make  apologies  for  many 
of  their  customs  and  beliefs.  They  manifested  a  regard  for  human 
life,  and  a  dislike  for  brutal  raiding.  They  even  showed  signs 
of  giving  up  war  altogether,  because  the  Mission  did  not  approve 
of  it.  Through  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  they  were 
certainly  rising  from  their  low  condition ;  but  at  the  same  time 
they  did  not  rightly  understand  what  the  Gospel  was.  Some  had 
come  to  look  upon  it  as  a  sort  of  treaty  with  which  the  white 
men  had  come,  and  which  the  chief  and  his  councillors  were 
required  to  assent  to  on  behalf  of  the  whole  tribe.  The  mission- 
aries were  frequently  told  by  the  common  people  that  the  action 
of  the  councillors  was  shameful,  and  that  there  would  be  a 
rebellion  if  the  treaty  was  not  accepted.  So  little  did  they 
understand  that  the  Gospel  is  a  message  to  individuals,  and 
not  to  nations! 

But  a  turning  point  came  at  last  in  a  remarkable  way.     It 


iS8  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

came,  we  may  say,  by  the  miraculous  intervention  of  God.  The 
story  is  interesting,  and  reminds  one  of  some  of  the  incidents 
related  by  the  venerable  Dr  Paton. 

In  the  end  of  1885  the  country  began  to  suffer  from  long-con- 
tinued drought.  It  was  believed  that  the  spirits,  which  had  to  do 
with  the  government  of  the  world,  were  displeased.  Prayers  were 
therefore  made  to  them,  and  sacrifices  offered.  But  the  spirits 
did  not  hear.  At  length,  after  many  weeks,  a  meeting  of  native 
doctors  was  called  to  ascertain  the  cause.  These  doctors,  strange 
to  say,  were  all  agreed  that  the  missionaries  had  nothing  to  do 
with  it,  but  held  different  opinions  as  to  the  cause.  "  One 
party,"  says  Dr  Elmslie,  "  made  the  cause  out  to  be  a  long- 
standing strife  between  Mombera  and  his  brother  Mtwaro,  the 
heir-apparent,  as  the  spirits  were  highly  displeased  therewith. 
Another  party  said  the  spirits  were  at  war  among  themselves 
and  the  rain  would  come  when  they  finished.  The  third  party 
said  that  the  spirits  were  displeased  because  the  tribe  had  given 
no  heed  to  the  message  which  we  declare  to  them.  He  instanced 
what  seems  to  be  a  fact,  that  one  of  their  fathers,  who  died  while 
they  were  at  Tanganyika,  and  who  had  never  seen  a  white  man, 
told  them  that  in  the  course  of  their  wanderings  they  would  meet 
with  white  men  who  would  be  their  friends,  and  to  whom  they 
must  listen."  The  only  result  of  the  meeting,  however,  was  a 
renewal  of  heathen  sacrifices  to  appease  the  spirits,  which  again 
ended  in  disappointment. 

At  length,  in  despair,  several  councillors  and  a  large  number  of 
men  from  the  chief's  village  went  over  to  the  Mission  to  ask  Dr 
Elmslie  to  pray  to  God  to  send  rain,  as  their  own  methods  had 
entirely  failed.  For  more  than  an  hour  Dr  Elmslie  preached  to 
them  about  the  true  religion.  It  was  a  grand  opportunity,  and  he 
had  splendid  attention.  On  the  following  morning  there  was  a 
large  congregation  at  the  Mission,  with  councillors  and  others  from 
headquarters.  Mr  Koyi  conducted  the  service,  and  Dr  Elmslie 
made  special  prayer  for  rain.  Next  day  the  sky  became  black 
with  clouds,  and  rain  fell  in  torrents. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  Ngoniland,  for  the 
incident  made  a  profound  impression  on  the  nation.  Along  with 
the  cumulative  force  of  the  Christian  life,  as  manifested  day  by 
day,  it  directly  advanced  the  work.  Councillors  and  common 
men  now  began  to  frequent  the  meetings.  There  was  no  longer 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  159 

any  national  desire  for  war :  there  was  even  a  fear  lest  any  rumour 
of  war  should  drive  the  white  men  away.  The  old  enmity  of 
this  savage  and  bloodthirsty  tribe  gave  place  to  a  friendly  feeling ; 
and  at  last — with  deep  thankfulness  let  it  be  recorded — before 
much  of  1886  had  passed  away  liberty  was  given  to  open  schools 
at  the  Mission  station.  The  headmen  made  intimation  of  this 
fact  to  the  missionaries,  telling  them  that  they  were  now  free 
to  carry  on  the  work  of  preaching  and  teaching  throughout  the 
whole  country.  This  intimation  was  accompanied  by  the  ex- 
pression of  a  hope  that  many  additional  stations  would  be 
established. 

William  Koyi  about  this  time  showed  signs  of  breaking  down. 
The  long  strain  and  continued  hardships  proved  too  much  for 
him,  and  he  soon  passed  beyond  the  reach  of  earthly  help. 
On  the  4th  of  June  1886,  he  was  called  from  the  field  of  labour 
to  the  land  of  rest.  He  had  long  prayed  and  waited  for 
the  day  when  school-work  would  be  permitted.  When  the 
news  of  it  came  he  was  on  his  deathbed,  but  his  heart  thrilled 
with  joy  at  this  glorious  end  of  his  labours.  The  good 
seed  which  he  had  sown  among  his  savage  countrymen,  night 
and  day,  with  wondrous  wisdom  and  tender  patience,  was  now 
to  grow  up  into  an  abundant  harvest.  Few  more  noble  mission- 
aries, indeed,  have  lived  and  toiled  and  died  at  their  posts, 
doing  their  work  conscientiously  and  remaining  faithful  unto 
death. 

School  work  was  commenced  with  much  enthusiasm.  Three 
young  brothers  who  had  been  secretly  taught  by  night  to  read  the 
Nyanja  New  Testament  became  teachers,  and  there  was  every 
prospect  of  speedy  success.  But  dark  clouds  again  appeared, 
which  led  to  the  closing  of  the  school  for  several  months.  We 
have  said  that  the  war  spirit  was  dead.  This  is  true  in  regard  to 
the  nation  with  most  of  its  chiefs  and  councillors.  Mombera — now 
a  true  friend  of  the  Mission — was  not  anxious  to  have  war,  especially 
with  the  Tonga,  nor  were  many  of  those  in  his  part  of  the  tribe, 
the  part  in  which  the  missionaries  lived  and  laboured ;  but  there 
were  still  hundreds  of  young  men  who  clamoured  for  war.  This 
was  especially  the  case  in  the  districts  of  Mombera's  three  brothers, 
which  had  not  been  reached  by  the  Mission,  and  were  still  unin- 
fluenced by  the  Gospel.  Many  of  these  young  men  had  never 
been  out  to  such  a  thing  as  war,  and  not  having  killed  anyone, 


160  DAYBREAK  IN  L1FINGSTONIA 

were  not  entitled  to  perform  a  war-dance.  They  were  consequently 
enraged  that  the  tribe  should  have  decided  to  give  up  war, 
especially  against  the  Tonga,  and  they  constantly  harassed 
Mombera  in  regard  to  the  matter,  being  supported  largely  by  his 
brothers.  To  give  vent  to  their  untameable  spirit,  they  formed 
small  marauding  parties  to  attack  surrounding  tribes.  One  such 
party  fell  upon  and  massacred  an  Arab  caravan  near  Ngoniland, 
and  for  months,  as  a  result,  there  was  a  threatened  Arab  invasion. 
Another  party  attacked  seventeen  Tonga  carriers  sent  by  Dr  Laws, 
slaughtering  six  of  them  and  wounding  others,  and  for  a  long  time 
there  was  an  expected  reprisal  by  the  Tonga  tribes. 

It  was  a  time  for  decision.  The  parting  of  the  ways  had 
been  reached.  Were  those  who  clung  to  the  Mission,  including 
Mombera  and  the  elder  portion  of  the  tribe,  to  have  the  ascendant, 
or  was  the  younger  and  war-loving  portion,  assisted  by  Mombera's 
brothers?  If  the  latter,  the  missionaries  would  be  driven  from 
the  country,  the  whole  Tonga  tribe  would  be  attacked,  and  even 
the  Mission  at  Bandawe"  would  be  imperilled,  for  the  warlike  portion 
would  not  be  satisfied  with  small  things.  Out  of  friendship  to  the 
Mission,  Mombera  devised  a  means  of  staying  the  evil  by  arranging 
for  a  conference  of  his  brothers  and  of  the  council  to  discuss  the 
subject,  and  by  sending  for  Dr  Laws  to  be  present,  in  the  hope  of 
his  being  able  to  compose  matters. 

This  grand  conference  was  held  on  2  7th  October  1887,  Dr 
Laws,  Dr  Elmslie,  and  Mr  Williams  representing  the  Mission. 
The  discussion  was  conducted  in  a  way  that  did  credit  to  these 
Ngoni  warriors.  As  on  previous  occasions,  it  was  in  the  form 
of  a  palaver.  Neither  side  cared  to  begin.  "  What  do  you 
want  ?  "  they  asked  of  the  missionaries.  "  Nay,"  replied  Dr  Laws, 
"  we  have  come  at  your  request  to  hear  what  you  propose  doing." 
And  at  last  silence  was  broken  by  man  after  man  accusing  Dr 
I/aws,  in  symbolical  language,  of  living  with  such  wretched  people 
as  the  Tonga  and  forsaking  the  Ngoni.  "  Come  and  live  entirely 
with  us  !  "  was  the  beginning  and  end  of  every  speech.  "  It  will 
be  well  if  only  you  do  that." 

In  reply,  Dr  Laws  explained  the  necessity  of  having  a  base  or 
port  on  the  Lake,  otherwise  work  in  the  interior  would  soon  come 
to  a  standstill,  and  the  Mission  would  be  starved.  "  How  could 
we  get  calico,  or  supplies,  or  anything  else,  if  we  give  up 
Bandawe  ?  "  said  Dr  Laws.  This  argument  met  their  selfishness, 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  161 

and  produced  an  impression ;  and  so  it  was  agreed  to  let  things 
remain  as  before  at  Bandawe". 

But  the  question  of  the  war  spirit,  unfortunately,  was  not  so 
easily  settled.  There  was  a  strong  influential  feeling  in  favour  of 
a  huge  war  against  the  Tonga.  At  last,  after  many  orations,  they 
agreed  that  if  they  went  to  war  they  would  confine  their  attacks 
to  Chintechi,  a  district  ten  miles  from  Bandawe,  and  a  regular  cave 
of  Adullam,  to  which  many  a  rascal  in  the  country  side  fled  for 
safety  when  he  found  his  own  village  too  hot  for  him.  It  was  not, 
of  course,  a  perfectly  satisfactory  conclusion,  but  Dr  Laws  could 
not  make  a  better  of  it.  He  had,  at  all  events,  the  powerful  help 
of  Mombera.  Whatever  views  he  had  before  of  that  chief,  he  was 
now  convinced  of  his  loyalty  to  the  Mission  and  his  desire  to  save 
it  from  danger. 

Unusual  peace  and  prosperity  now  began  to  reign  in  Ngoniland. 
The  war  spirit  was  at  last  thoroughly  broken.  Small  war  parties 
went  out  occasionally  after  this,  but  without  the  consent  of  the 
chief  or  the  hearty  approval  of  the  people.  For  a  few  years  there 
was  a  restlessness  at  times  among  certain  sections  of  the  tribe,  as 
if  they  were  anxious  for  bloodshed,  but  it  usually  came  to  nothing 
in  the  end,  because  of  the  opposition  manifested  by  the  friends  of 
the  Mission.  Things,  indeed,  began  rapidly  to  brighten.  Schools 
could  now  be  opened  anywhere.  The  old  dark  days — days  of 
Diabolus,  as  thoughtful  natives  now  call  them — were  gone,  never 
to  return. 

Under  Dr  Elmslie's  guidance,  and  with  the  help  of  his  medical 
skill,  rapid  progress  was  now  made.  In  addition  to  Njuyu,  where 
he  had  resided  hitherto,  a  very  important  station  was  opened  in 
1889  at  Ekwendeni,  about  fifteen  miles  to  the  north-east — now  the 
headquarters  of  the  large  missionary  agency  among  these  Ngoni. 
This  was  in  the  district  of  Mtwaro,  one  of  Mombera's  brothers, 
who  ruled  over  a  large  section  of  the  people.  The  opening  in  this 
place  was  due  directly  to  the  medical  work,  for  it  was  only  as  a 
healer  of  disease  that  Dr  Elmslie  was  permitted  to  visit  there.  Mr 
and  Mrs  P.  M'Callum  undertook  the  work  at  this  new  sphere  for  a 
few  years,  striving  hard  to  impress  the  Gospel  upon  the  people. 
Mtwaro  became  particularly  friendly  and  good  to  the  Mission.  He 
did  all  he  could  to  advance  the  work,  while  his  eldest  son  and  heir 
regularly  attended  the  school  and  services.  But  in  October  1890, 
this  good  chief  died.  His  loss  was  deeply  felt  by  the  Mission ; 

L 


1 62  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

and  as  he  was  much  liked  by  his  people,  there  was  great  mourning, 
crowds  of  men  and  women  attending  from  all  parts  of  the  country. 
His  body  was  buried  in  the  cattle  kraal  of  the  village  where  he  died, 
and  according  to  custom,  many  spears,  ivory  rings,  cuttings  of  cloth, 
and  other  valuable  things  were  put  in  beside  him.  The  mission- 
aries were  afraid  that  war  would  take  place,  as  this  was  always 
customary  on  the  death  of  a  chief;  but  after  some  days  of  suspense, 
during  which  they  prayed  earnestly  that  God  would  protect  His 
cause  from  harm,  they  were  much  relieved  and  thankful  to  learn 
that  there  was  to  be  none.  Mtwaro's  son  took  his  father's  place, 
and  as  he  was  favourably  disposed  towards  the  Mission,  matters 
went  on  with  great  success  at  this  new  station. 

The  beginning  of  real  blessing  to  the  Ngoni  nation  came  in  1890. 
Two  of  the  three  brothers  who  had  gone  to  Dr  Elmslie  by  night  to 
be  taught,  when  such  work  was  forbidden,  made  public  confession 
of  Christ  in  baptism.  The  other  brother  was  thoroughly  Christian 
in  all  his  conduct,  except  that  he  had  three  wives,  and  could  not 
escape  from  the  chains  that  bound  him.  Two  converts  were  not 
much,  perhaps,  after  eight  years  of  trial  and  labour,  but,  like  Albert 
Namalambe"  at  Cape  Maclear,  they  were  the  first-fruits  of  a  rich 
ingathering. 

In  August  1890,  Rev  George  Steele,  M.B.,  C.M.,  took  charge 
of  the  work  in  place  of  Dr  Elmslie,  who  was  returning  home  for  a 
well-earned  furlough.  The  pioneering  time  was  past,  and  hopeful 
days  were  dawning.  Dr  Steele  worked  away  quietly,  perseveringly, 
and  successfully.  Only  one  disquieting  event  happened.  This 
was  the  death  of  the  great  chief  Mombera,  in  August  1891. 
There  was  some  discussion  as  to  his  successor,  and  no  little  anxiety 
about  the  fate  of  the  Mission ;  but  the  clouds  quickly  passed  away, 
and  instead  of  danger,  the  Gospel  began  to  take  root  in  the  land. 

At  least  two  events  happened  shortly  afterwards  to  prove  this. 
First,  another  chief  and  brother  of  Mombera,  Mperemb£  by  name, 
became  friendly  to  the  Mission.  He  was  a  barbarous  ruler,  and 
was  so  superstitious  that,  on  Dr  Steele  visiting  him  at  this  time,  the 
messenger  who  preceded  with  a  gift  was  told  to  leave  it  at  some 
distance  off,  lest  there  should  be  "  medicine  "  in  the  parcel  to  be- 
witch or  kill.  Then  in  April  1892,  nine  persons,  of  whom  one 
was  a  woman,  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  a  crowded  audience  at 
Njuyu  and  publicly  professed  their  faith  in  Jesus,  and  forever 
renounced  heathenism  with  its  horrible  superstitions.  The  same 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  163 

day  they  were  received  by  baptism  into  the  Church,  which  now 
numbered  eleven.  The  Lord's  Supper  was  dispensed,  and  a  most 
remarkable  day  was  brought  to  a  close. 

But  now  and  then,  in  the  midst  of  this  dawning  light,  dark 
shadows  crept  over  the  land,  reminding  the  missionaries  of  bygone 
days.  It  must  not  be  imagined  that  the  whole  Ngoni  nation  was 
under  missionary  influence.  There  were  bands  of  men  here  and 
there,  especially  at  a  distance  from  the  Mission  stations,  who  were 
still  untouched  by  the  Gospel  of  peace,  and  who  gave  vent,  when 
they  could,  to  their  natural  barbarity,  by  raiding  innocent  villages 
and  butchering  the  inhabitants.  Their  actions  were  not  approved 
of  by  those  in  authority,  and  did  not  have  sympathy  from  the  tribe 
as  a  whole — thanks  to  the  beneficent  teaching  of  the  Gospel — but 
they  managed  sometimes  to  gratify  their  warlike  passions.  We  give 
one  instance  of  this  kind,  which  happened  so  late  as  November 
1892. 

One  very  dark  night  a  savage  band  crept  stealthily  down  to  a 
village  on  the  Lake  shore,  about  twelve  miles  from  Karonga,  the 
trading  station  of  the  African  Lakes  Company.  They  had  not 
quarrelled  with  the  people  or  their  chief,  but  were  simply  anxious 
to  capture  the  women  and  have  some  bloodshed.  The  village  had 
no  stockade,  and  lay  hidden  among  banana  groves,  and  so  their 
entrance  was  easily  effected.  "  Each  warrior,"  says  one  of  our 
missionaries  located  near  the  spot  at  the  time,  "  took  up  his  position 
at  the  door  of  a  hut,  and  ordered  the  inmates  to  come  out.  Every 
man  and  boy  was  speared  as  he  rushed  out,  and  the  women  caught 
and  bound  with  bark  rope.  In  the  morning  not  a  Konde  man  or 
boy  was  in  the  village,  while  three  hundred  women  and  girls  were 
tied  and  crowded  together  like  so  many  frightened  sheep.  The 
Ngoni  feasted  all  day  on  the  food  and  beer  of  the  villagers." 

Before  many  hours  had  passed  the  news  of  this  midnight  massacre 
had  reached  Karonga.  The  agents  of  the  Lakes  Company  there 
resolved  to  rescue  the  women  who  had  been  seized.  Two  of  these 
agents,  along  with  about  one  hundred  native  helpers,  set  off  at  once, 
and  reached  the  helpless  village  before  the  Ngoni  had  quitted  it. 
When  the  savage  warriors  found  that  they  were  to  be  outdone,  they 
began  to  spear  the  captive  women.  "Then  ensued  a  horrible 
scene,"  says  the  missionary,  "  women  screaming,  women  wrestling 
for  life  with  armed  savages,  women  and  girls  writhing  in  blood  on 
the  ground."  But  the  two  white  men  advanced  with  their  native 


164  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

party.  A  sharp  fight  took  place,  the  raiders  were  driven  off,  and 
two  hundred  women  were  saved  from  death. 

The  missionary  himself,  on  learning  the  serious  state  of  matters, 
hurried  off  to  the  grief-stricken  village.  He  spent  hours  crawling 
on  hands  and  knees  among  the  adjoining  reeds  seeking  out  the 
wounded  who  had  fled  there  for  safety.  He  was  able  to  find  47 
of  these  poor  fugitives  and  attend  to  their  wounds.  He  discovered 
one  man  with  fifteen  spear  wounds,  and  a  child  two  years  old  with 
no  less  than  seven.  He  reckoned  the  list  of  killed  to  include  29 
men,  100  women,  32  girls,  and  16  boys.  It  was  indeed  lamentable 
that  such  inhuman  actions  should  still  be  committed  by  bands 
of  Ngoni;  but  they  were  among  the  last  attempts  of  a  latent 
barbarism  as  yet  untouched  by  the  Gospel. 

Missionary  progress  went  on  independent  of  such  things.  In 
fact,  the  Gospel  had  now  become  firmly  established,  and  was 
quickly  taking  possession  of  the  land.  Before  the  year  1893  had 
closed  another  Station — long  thought  of  by  Dr  Elmslie — was 
commenced  at  Hora,  a  place  some  twelve  miles  south  of  Njuyu, 
among  a  large  population  hitherto  untouched.  This  station  takes 
its  name  from  a  prominent  hill  in  the  vicinity,  which  was  once  the 
scene  of  a  bloody  battle  between  the  Ngoni  and  their  neighbours 
the  Tumbuka.  The  latter,  on  being  closely  pursued,  took  refuge 
on  this  hill,  and  being  surrounded,  were  speared  to  death.  Relics 
of  the  battle  remain  to  this  day  in  the  numerous  bones  and  skulls 
lying  about  the  place.  At  this  new  Station  the  work  speedily 
developed.  As  early  as  December,  Dr  Steele  had  the  pleasure  of 
preaching  here  to  about  four  hundred  people — one  of  the  best  and 
most  attentive  audiences  he  had  seen  in  Ngoniland. 

Dr  Steele  succumbed  to  fever  on  26th  June  1895,  Just  at  tne 
close  of  his  first  term  of  service  among  these  once  wild  Ngoni, 
but  Mawelera,  one  of  the  first  converts,  stepped  into  his  place, 
working  faithfully  and  satisfactorily,  in  spite  of  many  bitter  trials 
and  persecutions,  until  he  was  relieved  in  October  by  Mr  Charles 
Stuart.  The  presence  of  God  became  manifest  at  all  the  stations. 
Great  congregations  assembled  every  Sabbath,  necessitating  over- 
flow gatherings  outside.  A  spirit  of  solemn  enquiry  showed  itself. 
The  candidates  for  baptism  increased  by  hundreds,  and  there  was 
a  welcome  everywhere  for  those  who  carried  the  Gospel  of  peace 
and  salvation. 

By  1897  Ngoniland  had  become  so  influenced  by  the  mission- 


HORA  MISSION  HOUSEJ 


NJUYU  MISSION  HOUSE  AND  SCHOOL. 


THE  FIERCE  NGONI  165 

aries  that  some  of  the  converts  were  appointed  as  rulers  in 
obedience  to  the  desire  of  the  people.  Since  Mombera's  death 
in  1891,  and  Mtwaro's  a  year  before,  the  country  had  been  in 
an  unsettled  state,  without  any  paramount  chief  or  civil  authority 
to  decide  disputes.  But  in  June  1897  this  interregnum  was 
brought  to  an  end,  and  much  bloodshed  and  lawlessness  thereby 
prevented  through  the  influence  of  the  Mission.  The  chiefs  and 
headmen  met  together  at  the  royal  kraal,  and  after  a  discussion, 
lasting  for  some  weeks,  appointed  Mbalekelwa,  a  son  of  Mombera, 
to  be  supreme  chief  over  the  Ngoni.  They  also  placed  a  Mission 
teacher,  named  Amon — a  man  of  good  character  and  a  most 
devoted  Christian — as  the  sub-chief  of  the  Ekwendeni  district,  in 
room  of  Mtwaro ;  and  they  set  apart  Amon's  brother,  Yohane — 
also  an  earnest  Mission  teacher — to  be  adviser  or  prime  minister. 
Afterwards  Mawelera,  one  of  the  first  converts,  addressed  the 
assembled  multitude.  He  told  the  young  king  how  he  ought  to 
rule  the  country — not  by  the  spear,  but  by  the  word  of  God. 
He  reproved  those  who  desired  raiding  and  bloodshed,  and 
contrasted  the  old  dark  days  of  cruelty  with  the  peaceful, 
enlightened  era  that  was  now  dawning. 

At  the  election  some  of  the  old  warriors,  by  violent  speeches 
and  war  dances,  attempted  to  organise  a  great  national  raid  in 
honour  of  the  new  chief,  so  that  they  might  "  wash  their  spears  in 
blood,"  as  was  customary  on  such  an  occasion.  One  of  these 
spoke  slightingly  of  the  teachers,  using  opprobrious  language 
towards  them,  and  flourishing  his  spears  wildly  in  their  faces; 
but  they  stood  their  ground,  being  supported  by  the  vast  majority 
of  the  nation,  and  at  last  peace  prevailed  owing  largely  to  the 
fearless  and  vigorous  speeches  of  Mawelera  and  others.  And  at 
the  close,  when  Mperembe,  who  was  regarded  as  the  great 
warrior  chief,  offered  sacrifice  to  the  spirit  of  Mombera,  he  prayed 
to  him  in  his  heathen  fashion  that  he  would  remember  the 
missionaries  when  they  taught  God's  Word  to  the  people  ! 

The  fields  everywhere  were  white  unto  the  harvest.  People 
came  daily  to  the  missionaries  in  large  companies  enquiring  after 
God.  Old  men,  whose  hands  were  red  with  the  blood  of  many 
whom  they  had  slain  in  the  surrounding  valleys,  and  who  had  now 
given  up  war,  polygamy,  and  beer,  came  that  they  might  follow 
Christ.  Old,  bent  mothers,  bearing  in  their  bodies  the  brand- 
marks  of  heathenism,  were  there,  anxious  to  be  clad  in  the 


1 66  DAr 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

garments  of  holiness.  Bright-eyed  boys  and  girls  flocked  to  the 
teachers,  filled  with  a  passion  for  God's  Word.  Both  high  and 
low,  headmen  and  common  slaves,  came  to  be  bond-servants  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Ten  years  before,  Dr  Elmslie  was  burying  his 
medicines  under  the  floor  of  a  Njuyu  house,  preparing  for  the 
worst,  while  crowds  of  Ngoni  savages  gathered  threateningly  in  the 
valley  below.  Now  native  teachers  sat  at  the  door  of  the  same 
house,  conversing  from  morning  to  night  with  enquirers  after  a 
better  life.  Ten  years  before,  there  were  three  sons  of  a  slave 
whom  Dr  Elmslie  was  teaching  secretly  by  night.  Now  the 
aggregate  congregations  of  all  the  preachers  amounted  to  over 
ten  thousand.  Truly  the  light  was  breaking  ! 

Space  forbids  us  to  record  the  vast  changes  accomplished.  We 
give  here  only  one  instance  of  the  remarkable  awakening.  For 
five  days  a  multitude  of  some  four  thousand  people  assembled 
together,  with  the  sole  object  of  hearing  God's  Word  read  to  them, 
and  learning  of  a  Saviour — an  event  so  extraordinary,  that  it  would 
be  difficult  to  find  a  parallel  in  missionary  annals.  We  give  the  facts 
in  the  words  of  Mr  Fraser.  Writing  from  Ekwendeni,  in  May 
1898,  he  says : 

"We  have  just  concluded  a  communion  season  after  the  old 
Highland  fashion.  The  people  gathered  in  from  all  the  out- 
stations,  and  spent  five  days  together,  humbling  themselves  before 
God  and  waiting  on  Him. 

"  On  Monday,  May  2,  the  strangers  began  to  arrive.  The  first 
to  come  were  from  Mperembe's,  the  great  warrior  chief.  Mateyu, 
the  teacher,  marched  at  their  head,  and  behind  him,  in  a  long  line, 
followed  nearly  seventy  people.  They  brought  with  them  a  sheep 
and  a  goat,  which  Mperembe  had  sent  as  his  contribution  to  the 
Sabbath's  collection. 

"  Next  day,  towards  evening,  the  Njuyu  people  arrived. 
We  could  see  them  winding  their  way  down  the  hillside  in  a 
straggling  line  which  stretched  back  for  nearly  a  mile.  Through 
all  the  forenoon  of  Wednesday  bands  of  people  continued 
to  arrive,  sometimes  marching  up  the  road  in  solid  phalanx 
with  a  swinging  step,  and  sometimes  in  long  drawn  out  Indian 
file. 

"The  paths  to  the  south  were  alive  with  people;  and  men  sat 
on  the  ant-hills  as  the  companies  passed,  and  cried  out,  '  What 
mean  these  things  ?  Has  an  army  come  in  among  you  ?  Are  you 


THE  FIERCE  NGOtil  167 

going  to  a  new  country  ? '  And  the  people  cried  back,  '  We  are 
going  to  the  baptisms.  Come  and  see.' 

"  On  Saturday  morning  we  intended  to  baptise  the  adults  who 
were  to  be  received  into  the  Church,  but  owing  to  a  cold,  drizzling 
rain,  we  deferred  it  to  the  afternoon.  But  what  a  day  that  was  ! 
None  such  has  ever  been  seen  in  Nyasaland.  We  baptised  195 
adults;  and  on  Sabbath  afternoon,  89  children — in  all,  284  souls. 

"On  Communion  Sabbath  our  monthly  collection  was  taken 
at  the  beginning  of  the  service.  What  a  collection  that  was  !  We 
counted  ;£i,  8s.  in  money,  3  Ibs.  6  ozs.  of  small  beads,  n  knives, 
i  axe,  2  hoes,  5  finger  rings,  3  bracelets,  i  spear,  14  pots,  16 
baskets,  i  mat,  67  fowls,  2  goats,  2  sheep,  233  Ibs.  of  maize,  34 
Ibs.  of  potatoes,  and  62  Ibs.  of  pumpkins. 

"A  great  congregation  numbering  nearly  four  thousand  as- 
sembled. On  the  raised  platform  we  three  missionaries  sat,  along 
with  our  seven  native  elders.  Arranged  in  rows  before  us  was  the 
little  native  church,  and  crowding  on  all  sides  the  great  mass  of 
people.  Hundreds  of  poor,  naked,  wandering  women  stood  around 
on  the  right  and  on  a  large  ant-hill  to  the  left  sat  some  sixty  or 
seventy  men,  many  of  them  old  warriors,  looking  down  at  the  feast 
below,  and  wondering  what  it  all  meant." 

Without  dwelling  further  upon  such  remarkable  events,  we  ask 
the  reader  to  think  of  the  radical  change  which  has  thus  taken 
place  among  these  wild  Ngoni  warriors  within  a  few  years  after  the 
planting  of  the  Gospel  among  them.  The  rock  of  unbelief  and 
indifference,  which  at  first  remained  non-riven  in  spite  of  repeated 
strokes,  has  at  last  been  shattered.  Both  chiefs  and  people  have 
become  friendly  to  the  Mission.  The  national  war-spirit  is  broken. 
The  brutal  raids  upon  the  Tonga  and  other  defenceless  tribes  have 
entirely  ceased.  Spears  and  clubs  are  being  exchanged  for  the 
Word  of  God.  The  lives  of  the  missionaries  are  no  longer  in 
danger.  The  horrible  practices  of  the  native  doctors  are  giving 
place  to  the  art  of  true  medicine.  Savage  creatures  who  have 
lived  all  their  days  for  plunder  and  profligacy,  whose  hearts  have 
never  known  principle,  or  virtue,  or  decency,  are  being  born  again 
by  a  divine  power,  are  giving  up  their  degraded  habits,  and  are 
sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  and  in  their  right  mind.  All 
this,  too,  in  little  more  than  a  decade  of  time  !  And  without  any 
secular  force  to  help,  with  no  aid  whatever  from  armies  or  civil 
administrations,  and  with  the  persistent  savagery  of  the  land  as  an 


1 68  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

opponent !  It  is  surely  a  triumph  as  splendid  as  ever  achieved  by 
the  force  of  arms.  It  is  a  change  as  stupendous  as  when  the 
peaceful  staff  of  Moses  broke  in  shivers  all  weapons  of  war  and 
the  ten  thousand  spears  of  Pharaoh.  It  is  a  marvel  of  power, 
greater  than  any  belonging  to  this  lower  world. 

It  was  the  same  in  early  days.  It  seemed  impossible  that 
twelve  simple,  unlettered  men,  with  no  power  but  faith  in  a  crucified 
Christ,  should  work  any  change  on  the  world.  Everything  seemed 
against  them  :  the  supreme  power  of  Rome,  the  illustrious  wisdom 
of  Greece,  the  customs  and  philosophies  of  the  East,  the  pharisaism 
and  bigotry  of  the  Jews,  the  lusts  and  barbarism  of  heathendom. 
And  yet,  in  a  few  years,  all  these  mighty  forces  went  down  before 
the  Gospel  of  Christ.  The  mountain  of  difficulties,  apparently 
immovable,  was  removed  by  a  higher  power  than  earth  could  give, 
and  cast  into  the  sea.  So,  when  William  Koyi  first  set  foot  in 
Ngoniland,  he  found  a  work  to  do  as  difficult  to  flesh  and  blood 
as  the  removal  of  a  mountain.  He  found  heathenism  as  vast  and 
solid  as  the  hills  of  Nyasaland.  But  he  set  to  work.  Lonely, 
weak,  and  helpless,  he  walked  up  to  the  mountain  which  seemed 
beyond  all  power  to  touch  or  shake;  and  while  he  prayed,  and 
waited  patiently,  and  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,  the 
mountain  began  silently  to  move.  It  was  moving  when  Dr  Elmslie 
arrived.  It  was  slowly  passing  away  with  all  its  pile  of  barbarity 
and  superstition,  all  its  weight  of  unbelief  and  opposition :  and 
very  soon  no  place  was  found  for  it.  "Verily  I  say  unto  you 
if  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this 
mountain,  remove  hence  to  yonder  place,  and  it  shall  remove ;  and 
nothing  shall  be  impossible  unto  you." 


CHAPTER  XI 
IN  FAR-OFF  REGIONS 

THE  history  of  the  Gospel  in  Ngoniland,  recorded  in  last  chapter, 
is  but  one  instance  out  of  many  of  its  triumphant  success  in  a 
large  part  of  British  Central  Africa.  From  the  Shire"  Valley  to 
the  northern  shores  of  Lake  Nyasa,  and  away  through  the  heart  of 
the  Dark  Continent,  by  the  source  of  the  Congo  and  Zambesi  rivers 
to  Tanganyika,  over  a  stretch  of  five  hundred  miles,  the  same 
thrilling  tale  may  be  told.  After  the  settlement  of  the  Mission  at 
Bandawe",  the  Gospel  silently  and  rapidly  advanced  northward, 
southward,  westward,  widening  continually  in  its  range  and  ex- 
tending to  remoter  regions,  like  some  mysterious  force  young  as 
the  morning  and  full  of  unwasted  power.  At  first,  like  all  God's 
seeds,  small  and  insignificant,  not  filling  the  eye  or  completing  the 
picture,  it  speedily  became  a  deep-rooted,  wide-branching  tree, 
destined  to  hide  the  sky  with  its  foliage  and  give  healing  to 
multitudinous  tribes.  Even  now,  but  a  few  years  after  its  planting, 
it  is  difficult  to  reckon  the  branches  of  it  or  number  its  various 
twigs,  and  it  is  beyond  all  human  possibility  to  count  its  gradually 
increasing  leaves. 

Following  on  the  story  of  success  in  Ngoniland,  the  writer 
purposes  in  this  chapter  giving  a  brief  account  of  the  work 
accomplished  by  the  Mission  in  these  other  and  far-distant  regions 
of  Nyasaland.  Almost  everywhere  the  record  is  one  of  dark 
struggle  and  patient  continuance,  followed  in  due  time  by  Gospel 
light,  liberty,  and  triumph. 

NORTH  NYASA 

As  early  as  1882,  a  Station  was  opened  up  in  the  fine  district 
between  the  two  lakes  of  Nyasa  and  Tanganyika  by  Mr  James 
Stewart,  C.E.,  who  had  gone  to  this  district  the  previous  year  with 
the  object  of  constructing  the  Stevenson  Road  between  the  two 

169 


1 70  DA? 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Lakes  so  that  Christianity  and  commerce  might  reach  the  heart  of 
Africa.  The  place  chosen  for  the  Station  was  Chirenji,  about  forty 
miles  north-west  of  the  head  of  Lake  Nyasa,  and  about  4000  feet 
above  sea  level.  It  was  on  the  road  referred  to,  about  two  miles 
from  Maliwandu's,  or  as  it  should  more  properly  be  called, 
Mweniwanda's  village.  Between  the  Station  and  the  Lake  on  the 
east  there  were  giant  hills,  covered  to  the  top  with  evergreen 
trees.  Towards  the  west  the  country  was  an  almost  level  plain, 
with  nothing  but  the  distant  horizon  to  bound  the  view.  The 
district  being  high,  the  climate  was  better  than  that  on  the  Lake 
shore. 

The  following  brief  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  Mr  Stewart 
in  December  1882,  will  show  how  successful  this  engineer  and 
devoted  missionary  had  been  in  the  matter : 

"  We  have  been  living  here  for  rather  more  than  a  month  now 
on  very  good  terms  with  Maliwandu  and  the  surrounding  petty 
chiefs.  We  have  built  quarters  for  ourselves  sufficient  at  least  for 
the  first  year  or  two  of  the  Mission,  and  can  obtain  sufficient 
labour  and  supplies  for  all  our  wants.  I  intend  to  start  a  school 
as  soon  as  practicable — likely  in  the  course  of  next  month — and  by 
this  means  we  will  learn  something  of  the  language.  Though  we 
will  thus  employ  ourselves  in  mission  work  for  two  or  three 
months  during  the  rains,  it  is  necessary  now  that  you  send  out, 
with  the  least  possible  delay,  the  permanent  establishment  of  the 
Mission. 

"As  far  as  I  can  see,  a  Mission  here  will  be  comparatively  free 
from  perplexing  questions  of  jurisdiction.  If  any  such  should 
arise,  I  could  and  would  refer  the  case  to  Maliwandu,  with  more 
confidence  in  his  sense  of  right  and  wrong  than  I  could  to  any 
other  African  chief  I  know.  What  his  attitude  towards  the 
slave-trade  is  I  cannot  certainly  say,  but  I  know  that  the  traders 
whom  I  have  seen  about  his  village  are  more  than  usually 
respectable  and  well-behaved,  and  have  given  their  attention  to 
hunting  and  the  ivory  trade,  and  deny  (but  that  of  course)  all 
slaving.  I  know,  however,  that  he  refused  to  admit  one  man 
whom  I  had  good  cause  to  believe  a  slave-trader ;  and  he  said  in 
my  hearing  that  he  did  not  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  a 
man  of  war." 

After  this  faithful,  hard-working  missionary  succumbed  to  fever 
in  1883,  the  work  here  was  continued  by  the  Rev.  J.  Alexander 


IN  FAR-OFF  REGIONS  1 7 1 

Bain,  M.A.,  the  son  of  a  minister  in  Shetland,  and  a  man  of 
superior  ability  and  culture.  He  left  Britain  in  June  1883,  being 
accompanied,  among  others,  by  Professor  Henry  Drummond,  who 
was  anxious  to  visit  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  as  well  as  make  a 
scientific  expedition  to  the  inland  regions.  He  arrived  at  the 
Lake  in  September,  and  on  hearing  of  Mr  Stewart's  death,  at  once 
pushed  on  to  Mweniwanda.  He  threw  his  whole  heart  into  the 
work  of  this  Station,  which  speedily  gained  the  esteem  of  the 
people,  and  was  placed  on  a  good  foundation. 

Finding  that  his  influence  would  be  much  increased  by  frequent 
and  prolonged  intercourse  with  the  surrounding  tribes,  he  aimed 
at  making  this  a  prominent  feature  of  his  work.  He  repeatedly 
visited  them,  living  among  them  for  a  few  days  at  a  time,  and 
telling  them  of  God's  Book  and  His  salvation.  He  made  some 
remarkable  missionary  journeys  in  every  direction,  over  tracts 
never  crossed  by  a  white  man.  The  record  of  these,  written  by 
himself,  contains  many  interesting  descriptions  of  the  people  and 
district.  In  such  missionary  journeys  Mr  Bain's  way  lay  some- 
times over  high  and  grass-grown  hills,  and  at  other  times  through 
dark  forests,  where  enormous  trees  stood  clad  with  moss  and 
creepers  from  base  to  summit.  Everywhere  he  found  the  people 
friendly  and  ready  to  receive  the  Gospel — a  pleasant  contrast  to 
the  treatment  at  first  received  by  the  Mission  in  Ngoniland.  In 
this  way  he  laboured  constantly  —  preaching,  travelling,  and 
healing — often  without  the  company  of  a  white  man,  and  some- 
times with  insufficient  food  and  no  comforts.  He  suffered  greatly 
from  fever,  too,  but  never  was  known  to  complain  of  this  or  any 
of  his  hardships. 

He  was  joined  in  1886  by  Mr  Hugh  Mackintosh,  carpenter 
evangelist,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year  by  Dr  D.  Kerr 
Cross,  M.B.,  C.M.,  and  Mrs  Cross.  Two  of  these,  Mrs  Cross 
and  Mr  Mackintosh,  were  removed  by  death  a  few  months  after- 
wards, and  were  sorrowfully  laid  to  rest  in  a  calm,  lovely  spot  by 
the  side  of  the  murmuring  Chirenji,  and  at  the  foot  of  the 
giant  Chiwuru — seventy  miles  further  inland  than  any  previous 
missionaries.  They  had  just  started  to  hopeful  work  among  these 
far-off  Wanda  tribes  when  God  took  them. 

Dr  Cross  and  Mr  Bain,  however,  did  not  lose  heart.  In 
addition  to  the  services  at  the  Station,  they  addressed  large 
gatherings  almost  every  Sabbath  on  the  village  green,  where  on 


172  DATBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

week-days  the  people  conducted  their  judicial  councils  and  their 
superstitious  muavi  drinkings.  They  also  made  Mweniwanda  a 
centre  from  which  they  extended  their  operations.  Karonga,  on 
the  Lake  shore,  at  the  commencement  of  the  Stevenson  Road, 
was  made  an  out-station,  work  being  also  carried  on  at  Chinga  to 
the  north. 

But  dark  clouds  came — much  darker  than  ever  appeared  in 
Ngoniland.  The  Arabs,  bent  upon  slavery  and  butchery,  com- 
menced a  fierce  war  in  1887,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
Mission.  In  a  future  chapter  we  hope  to  describe  the  terrible 
events  connected  with  this  two  years'  war.  Here  it  need  only  be 
said  that  these  two  heroic  missionaries  passed  through  many 
months  of  danger  and  suffering  owing  to  the  persistent  hostility 
of  the  Arabs  and  their  slave-trading  confederates.  Mr  Bain,  after 
being  besieged,  along  with  a  small  party  of  Europeans,  within  a 
rudely  constructed  fort  at  Karonga,  was  compelled  to  give  up 
work  for  a  while  through  fever,  and  left  in  February  1888  for 
Bandawe",  with  the  intention  of  returning  home  on  furlough. 
Dr  Cross,  however,  was  able  to  continue  at  Mweniwanda's  for 
fully  two  months  during  this  dangerous  time,  although  entirely 
alone  and  cut  off  for  three  or  four  weeks  from  all  communication 
with  his  fellow-countrymen.  Over  and  over  again  he  sent 
messengers  to  the  Lake  shore,  but  they  were  repeatedly  fired 
at,  until  men  refused  to  go.  It  was  only  when  he  received  word 
of  the  retreat  of  the  white  community  from  Karonga,  and  of  a 
projected  Arab  attack  upon  his  defenceless  Station,  that  he 
bolted  for  his  life.  He  returned,  nevertheless,  a  few  weeks  after- 
wards, accompanied  by  Mr  Monteith  Fotheringham,  of  the 
African  Lakes  Company,  and  others,  feeling  that  to  leave  the 
district  would  mean  the  abandoning  of  the  Mission  and  the 
subjection  of  thousands  of  helpless  people  to  these  brutal  slavers. 
A  strong  stockade  of  trees  was  then  erected  round  the  school, 
and  the  place  turned  into  a  city  of  refuge  until  reinforcements 
should  arrive  from  the  south  of  the  Lake.  But  ultimately, 
on  3oth  March  1888,  Dr  Cross  was  summoned  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  British  Consul  and  a  small  band  of  Europeans, 
who  were  surrounded  by  hordes  of  enraged  Arabs  thirsting 
for  their  blood,  and  had  no  medical  assistance  in  case  they 
should  be  wounded.  For  a  long  time  he  had  to  act  as  surgeon 
on  the  battle-field  during  this  crisis,  attending  both  British 


IN  F4R-OFF  REGIONS  173 

and  Arabs,  and  he  suffered  a  good  deal  from  the  strain  of 
events. 

In  the  meantime  Mr  Bain  was  improving  in  health  at  Bandawe*. 
Freedom  from  worry,  regularity  of  meals,  a  good  house  to  live  in 
and  other  blessings  were  rapidly  restoring  him  to  his  usual  vigour. 
Finding  himself  thus  improved,  he  was  unwilling  to  go  home,  and 
returned  to  the  north  end  of  the  Lake,  where  he  joined  Dr  Cross 
again.  As  the  district  around  Mweniwanda  was  practically  in  a 
state  of  warfare,  they  did  not  consider  it  wise  to  expose  them- 
selves to  unnecessary  danger  there.  The  Master  himself  had  said 
to  the  first  evangelists,  "When  they  persecute  you  in  one  city, 
flee  ye  into  another." 

But  good  was  brought  out  of  evil,  and  the  cruelties  of  the 
Arabs  were  made  to  praise  God.  While  these  two  missionaries 
were  taking  refuge  at  the  north  end,  along  with  Rev.  A.  C.  Murray, 
who  had  just  been  sent  out  by  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of 
Cape  Colony  to  co-operate  with  the  Mission,  they  managed  to 
open  up  a  new  Station  in  August  1888,  at  Malindu — a  place 
situated  on  the  Ukukw£  plateau,  at  the  north  of  the  Livingstone 
Mountains,  and  within  the  territory  of  a  chief  named  Kararamuka. 
Here  there  was  a  large  population  of  friendly  people,  as  yet 
untouched  by  the  Arab  slave  raiders.  The  villages  were  altogether 
different  from  the  poor,  stockaded  places  between  the  two  Lakes, 
and  were  studded  with  magnificent  banana  trees  about  20 
feet  high,  with  large  broad  leaves,  which  the  natives  used  as 
umbrellas  and  as  carpets  for  sitting  or  lying  upon.  In  these 
peaceful  villages,  with  their  beautiful  groves,  the  natives  strolled 
about  perfectly  nude,  in  Arcadian  simplicity,  singing  and  beating 
their  curious  drums,  while  the  cattle,  with  their  merry  tinkling 
bells,  wandered  free  over  the  rich  pasture  land  until  night,  when 
they  gathered  around  the  fires  or  went  to  sleep  with  their  owners  in 
the  long-shaped,  low-roofed  wicker  houses. 

But  owing  to  the  terrible  sufferings  incurred  during  this  Arab 
war,  these  two  missionaries  were  often  driven  to  great  straits. 
Between  anxiety,  fever,  pestilence,  and  ceaseless  toil,  they  had 
become  sadly  weakened.  Mr  Bain  was  persuaded  to  leave,  with 
the  intention  of  returning  home  immediately  on  furlough.  He 
reached  Bandawe"  in  April  1889,  "shattered,"  as  he  himself  con- 
fessed, "in  mind  and  body."  But,  seized  with  violent  fever,  he 
succumbed  on  May  i6th,  leaving  a  blank  in  the  Mission  which 


174  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

it  was  by  no  means  easy  to  fill.  He  had  wrought  hard  for  six 
years,  carrying  the  light  of  the  Gospel  over  a  wide  area ;  he  had 
acquired  a  large  knowledge  of  the  language  at  the  north  end  of 
Nyasa — a  knowledge  which  would  have  been  of  immense  service 
to  the  Mission  had  he  been  spared ;  and  friends  at  home  looked 
to  him  with  hopefulness  for  the  future  of  Dark  Africa.  It  was 
amid  many  tears  that  his  fellow  Christians,  black  and  white, 
carried  him  to  his  last  resting  place  in  the  little  God's-acre  at 
Bandawe. 

Dr  Kerr  Cross  now  returned  home  invalided,  but  was  enabled 
to  leave  the  north  end  of  the  Lake  in  something  like  a  state  of 
peace,  the  war  having  been  brought  to  an  end  through  the  inter- 
vention of  Her  Majesty's  Government.  The  good  work  which 
had  been  carried  on  throughout  the  whole  district  had  to  be  left 
largely  in  the  hands  of  the  natives,  who  did  their  best  to  preserve 
it.  It  had  by  no  means  failed,  however,  but  rather  the  opposite. 
The  seed  had  been  sown  faithfully  and  was  to  grow  into  an 
abundant  harvest. 

On  his  return  to  the  Lake  in  1891,  Dr  Cross  set  himself  to 
found  a  new  central  Station  at  the  north  end.  Neither  Mweni- 
wanda  nor  Kararamuka  was  exactly  fitted  for  permanent  work. 
With  a  new,  central,  permanent  Station,  which  would  command 
the  northern  regions,  and  be  within  easy  reach  of  the  Stevenson 
Road,  and  be  suitable  also,  if  possible,  as  a  sanitorium,  the  whole 
of  this  district  could  be  brought  under  the  influence  of  the 
Gospel.  It  was  necessary  that  such  a  Station  should  be  south 
of  the  Songwe  River,  for  by  the  Anglo-German  treaty  in  1890 
this  river  had  been  made  the  boundary  line  between  the  German 
and  British  spheres,  Germany  taking  the  north  and  Britain  the 
south  of  it.  To  be  in  the  British  sphere  was  an  advantage,  for 
several  reasons. 

For  about  six  months,  while  exploring  the  north  end  with  this 
object  in  view,  Dr  Cross  made  his  headquarters  at  Wundali,  seven 
hours'  journey  from  Mweniwanda  on  the  northern  side  of  the 
Songwe,  in  an  extremely  fertile  and  productive  valley,  inhabited 
by  a  race  of  Highlanders,  who  built  their  houses  on  the  hill-side 
in  quite  a  picturesque  fashion.  He  afterwards  removed  to 
Ngerenge",  on  the  Lufira  River,  thirteen  miles  north-west  of 
Karonga,  and  here  he  built  a  temporary  school.  This  place 
consisted  of  many  important  villages  hidden  in  banana  groves, 


IN  FAR-OFF  REGIONS  175 

and  extending  for  about  ten  miles  along  the  river  bank.  The 
people  were  numerous,  the  Arabs  had  little  or  no  influence  among 
them,  and  food  was  abundant ;  while  the  chief,  Chirnpusa,  was, 
in  the  expressive  language  of  the  natives,  "a  great  white  man's 
man." 

Direct  missionary  work  was  carried  on  here  for  several  months, 
but  after  a  large  amount  of  exploration,  it  became  evident  that 
Karonga,  on  the  Lake  shore,  was  the  best  and  most  convenient 
centre  for  missionary  work  at  the  north  end.  Multitudes  of 
natives,  some  of  them  Christians,  were  settling  down  around  it, 
in  the  hope  of  being  employed  by  the  Lakes  Company,  who  had 
a  large  central  depot  there.  It  became  apparent  that  this  place, 
so  near  to  Ngerenge,  would  soon  become  a  most  important  sphere, 
and  it  was  necessary  that  it  should  be  held  for  Christ.  Otherwise, 
by  coast  influence  and  vice,  it  would  speedily  develop  into  what 
Dr  Laws'  termed  a  "  wee  hell."  Mr  Blair,  the  agent  of  the  Lakes 
Company  there,  had  erected  a  school  building,  and  offered  it  as  a 
donation  to  the  Mission — an  instance  of  how  well  this  Company 
has  wrought  for  the  evangelisation  as  well  as  the  commercial 
prosperity  of  Nyasaland. 

Karonga,  nestling  close  by  the  blue  waters  of  Nyasa,  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Stevenson  Road,  was  therefore  made  the 
permanent  centre  of  missionary  work  among  these  intelligent 
north-end  tribes,  and  has  continued  so  ever  since.  From  October 
1894,  when  the  Mission  took  possession  of  it  for  Christ,  the  work 
has  rapidly  developed  and  extended  to  neighbouring  regions.  A 
new  church  and  schoolroom  have  now  been  erected  to  accom- 
modate the  vast  crowds  that  flock  to  hear  the  Gospel.  Many 
people  who  suffered  for  years  from  the  cruel  thraldom  of  the 
Arabs  have  been  brought  under  the  influence  of  the  Gospel,  and 
learned  something  of  that  glorious  liberty  which  Christ  alone  can 
give.  The  old  perilous  days  of  slavery,  cruelty,  and  warfare 
have  passed  away,  and  given  place  to  remarkable  soul-stirring 
times.  As  in  wild  Ngoniland,  so  here  in  the  peaceful,  lovely 
Kondd  country,  with  Karonga  as  a  permanent,  far-reaching  centre 
of  operations,  the  Gospel  of  Christ  has  become  an  eternal  posses- 
sion. It  has  broken  on  the  country,  through  darkness  and  cloud, 
like  a  sunbeam  out  of  heaven,  regenerating,  purifying,  and  emanci- 
pating. Here,  where  barbarism  and  cruelty  once  reigned  in  the 
persons  of  brutal  slavers,  and 


176  DATBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

"  Where  the  sand  has  drunk  hot  tears 
From  the  brimming  eyes  of  millions 
Through  the  long  ungracious  years," 

churches,  better  filled  than  many  at  home,  are  standing  beneath 
the  equatorial  sun,  silent  witnesses  to  the  triumphal  march  of 
Christianity,  and  natives  are  living  in  peace  and  happiness,  with 
songs  of  Christian  victory  on  their  lips,  and  bright  hopes  of 
heaven  in  their  hearts.  Truly,  "He  that  is  mighty  hath  done 
great  things,  and  holy  is  His  name." 

CENTRAL  NGONILAND 

This  populous  region  was  opened  up  through  the  energetic 
assistance  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  South  Africa.  This 
Church  had  formed  a  Ministers'  Society  for  Evangelising  Work  in 
Central  Africa,  and  in  July  1888  this  Society  sent  out  Rev.  A. 
C.  Murray,  and  some  months  later  an  artisan  evangelist,  Mr  T.  C. 
Vlok,  to  assist  Dr  Laws  and  his  staff  and  start  a  new  centre  of 
operations.  The  Livingstonia  Mission,  at  its  commencement,  had 
had  the  warm  assistance  of  the  United  Presbyterian  and  of  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Churches  of  Scotland ;  now  it  received  con- 
siderable help  from  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church. 

Mr  Murray  belonged  to  a  well-known  Aberdeenshire  family. 
It  was  in  1822  that  the  Rev.  Andrew  Murray  left  his  Scottish 
home  and  settled  in  Graaf-reinet,  where  he  trained  a  large  family 
to  become  ministers  and  missionaries.  Among  the  earnest, 
devoted  workers  for  Christ  that  Scotland  has  given  to  South 
Africa,  few  have  been  more  respected  than  Professor  John  Murray 
of  Stellenbosch,  who  was  cut  off  in  the  mid-time  of  his  days,  and 
Rev.  Andrew  Murray  of  Wellington,  whose  books  on  devotional 
religion  are  known  throughout  the  world. 

Shortly  after  Mr  Murray's  arrrival  at  the  Lake  he  settled  down 
for  some  time  with  Dr  Kerr  Cross  and  Mr  Bain  at  Kararamuka, 
where  he  gave  much  assistance;  but  in  October  1889  he  managed 
to  plant  the  new  Station  to  which  we  refer  in  Central  Ngoniland, 
at  Chiwere's  village,  sometimes  called  Mvera,  which  is  about  fifty 
miles  west  of  Domira  Bay.  It  was  one  of  the  localities  marked 
for  future  occupation  by  Dr  Laws  and  Mr  James  Stewart  on  their 
exploratory  journey  in  1878.  It  has  an  altitude  of  3400  feet 
above  the  sea,  and  is  a  healthy  and  fertile  place. 


IN  F4R-OFF  REGIONS  177 

Along  with  Mr  Vlok,  he  first  made  an  interesting  exploring  ex- 
pedition from  Bandaw^  to  this  region,  with  the  view  of  discovering 
the  best  locality  for  the  new  Station.  A  few  extracts  from  his 
letter,  describing  the  people  and  their  circumstances,  may  be 
interesting : 

"On  Monday  morning,  i5th  July  1889,  my  companion  and  I 
set  out  with  some  fifty  carriers  for  the  countries  of  the  two  great 
chiefs  Mwasi  and  Chiwere".  Mwasi's  people  are  sadly  corrupted 
by  Portuguese  subjects,  who  come  over  from  the  Zambesi  to  hunt 
and  buy  ivory.  We  met  several  of  them  there.  They  seemed 
noted  for  immorality  and  intemperance.  We  also  found  in 
Mwasi's  village  two  Arab  traders  (from  Zanzibar  and  the  coast), 
who  supply  the  natives  with  a  kind  of  adulterated  gin,  and  in 
return  get  ivory,  and,  I  believe,  slaves.  In  fact,  five  slaves  with 
gori-sticks  were  seen  in  the  village  during  our  visit.  Mwasi  him- 
self, a  man  of  about  thirty-five,  with  one  hundred  wives,  though 
always  smiling,  is  not  a  man  one  would  care  to  trust.  His  one 
great  desire  was  gin;  nor  would  he  believe  that  we  had  none. 
Even  our  water-bottle  was  accused  of  containing  gin,  until  it  was 
emptied  on  the  ground  before  his  eyes.  Besides  gin  he  wanted 
handcuffs,  and  brought  us  a  pair  to  show  what  he  meant.  It  is 
significant  that  gin  and  handcuffs  go  together. 

"  On  speaking  to  Mwasi  about  mission  work  among  his  people, 
he  said  he  would  like  a  white  man  to  live  there,  and  would  send 
the  children  to  school.  When,  however,  I  told  him  that  a 
missionary  would  not  help  him  in  his  wars,  nor  supply  guns, 
powder,  gin,  etc.,  he  seemed  less  anxious  for  the  white  man  to 
come. 

"Travelling  for  about  a  week  in  a  south-east  direction,  we 
reached  the  country  of  the  Ngoni  chief,  Chiwere*,  where  we  found 
people  in  abundance,  but  fortunately  no  elephants,  and  hence  no 
Portuguese  subjects  nor  Arabs.  Dr  Laws  passed  through  part  of 
this  country  in  1878,  and  was  very  favourably  impressed  with  it. 
We  remained  with  Chiwer£  about  ten  days,  and  not  only  enjoyed 
his  kindness,  but,  I  believe,  won  his  confidence.  On  the  second 
Sabbath  of  our  stay  we  addressed  his  people,  some  two  hundred 
being  present,  as  well  as  the  chief  himself  and  his  principal 
counsellor,  an  old  man  of  great  influence. 

"  The  rest  of  our  journey  was  very  prosperous,  thank  God  !  and 
with  grateful  hearts  we  reached  Bandaw^  on  the  1 7th  of  September, 


178  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

after  an  absence  of  a  little  over  nine  weeks.  Dr  Laws  and  myself 
decided  that  we  could  find  no  more  suitable  and  desirable  place  to 
commence  work  than  at  Chiwerd's.  Thither,  then,  Mr  Vlok  and 
I  purpose  proceeding  in  a  week's  time." 

Mr  Murray  and  his  Dutch  assistant  laboured  hard  at  this  centre 
of  heathenism.  They  found  the  chief,  as  they  expected,  utterly 
careless  about  spiritual  matters.  When  asked  why  he  did  not 
attend  the  services  in  his  village,  he  pointed  to  his  beer  pots, 
saying,  "I  prefer  moa."  Unfortunately,  he  was  only  too  fond  of 
this  liquor,  one  of  the  native  curses  of  Africa,  and  the  missionaries 
had  usually  to  visit  him  before  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  to 
find  him  sober.  Yet  there  seems  to  have  been  a  vast  difference 
between  him  and  his  father,  the  former  chief.  According  to  the 
stories  told,  the  old  man  used  to  delight  in  shedding  blood,  and 
when  any  person  became  ill,  he  would  give  him  to  his  dogs  to  be 
devoured ! 

Fortunately,  as  the  language  spoken  was  a  dialect  of  Nyanja, 
the  missionaries  were  able  to  use  the  Nyanja  school-books  already 
published,  including  the  New  Testament  translated  by  Dr  Laws. 
People  at  first  were  rather  afraid  to  send  their  children  to  the 
school,  lest,  having  a  sufficient  number,  the  missionaries  should 
suddenly  march  them  off  and  sell  them  as  slaves !  But  this  was 
only  a  natural  dread  that  passed  away  in  time.  These  poor, 
helpless  subjects  of  Chiwere"  had  been  so  accustomed  to  Arab 
scoundrels  searching  the  land  for  human  plunder,  that  their  first 
thoughts  on  seeing  white  strangers  may  well  be  excused. 

With  additional  helpers  from  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  the 
work  made  excellent  progress  ;  and  after  some  time  a  sub-station 
was  commenced  at  Kongwe",  about  twenty  miles  north-west  of 
Mvera,  among  the  Achewa  tribe. 

There  was  found  to  be  an  immense  population  throughout  the 
whole  region  of  Central  Ngoniland.  Not  only  around  Mvera  and 
Kongw£,  but  in  whatever  direction  Mr  Murray  travelled,  he  found 
villages  upon  villages,  with  thousands  of  people,  all  willing  to  have 
a  missionary  among  them.  "  Besides  this  kingdom,"  he  wrote, 
"  we  are  surrounded  by  heathen  on  every  side — north,  south,  east, 
and  west.  Towards  the  west  especially,  kingdom  follows  upon 
kingdom,  until  one  is  lost  in  the  darkness.  All  these  natives  are 
unconsciously  looking  to  us  for  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  and  what 
can  we  do  ?  A  couple  of  hundred  listen  to  the  preaching  on  the 


IN  F4R-OFF  REGIONS  179 

Sabbath,  while,  during  the  week,  a  few  children  learn  to  spell.  We 
need  more  labourers,  we  need  all  your  prayers,  lest  we  be  over- 
whelmed, as  it  were,  in  the  darkness." 

If  the  reader  has  never  thought  about  these  vast  heathen 
"  kingdoms,"  he  is  surely  unconscious  of  their  wretched  condition. 
He  has  not  realised  how  they  are  dotted  over  with  villages  where 
God  is  unknown,  where  scarred  and  bestial  faces  look  out  from 
the  low  huts,  and  food  and  lust  are  the  highest  thoughts.  He 
has  not  considered  what  it  is  to  be  without  any  knowledge  of 
Christ's  love,  or  any  hope  of  a  future  life.  If  Christ,  tender  and 
true,  has  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  have  beheld  His  glory,  let  us 
not  keep  the  great  vision  to  ourselves.  It  is  too  grand,  too  fair, 
too  heavenly  to  be  selfishly  enjoyed.  Let  us  rather  show  it  to  all 
the  sunken  tribes  of  earth,  saying  with  the  apostle,  "  That  which 
we  have  seen  and  heard  declare  we  unto  you,  that  ye  may  have 
fellowship  with  us  and  that  our  joy  may  be  full." 

SOUTH  NYASA 

In  1887  a  most  important  Station  was  opened  up  in  the  Livlezi 
valley,  to  the  south-west  of  the  Lake,  about  two  hundred  miles 
from  Bandawe*.  The  country  around  was  occupied  by  a  race  of 
Ngoni,  of  a  very  superstitious  kind,  and  was  sometimes  called 
South  Ngoniland.  But  Nyanja  was  the  prevailing  language, 
although  the  councillors  and  headmen  spoke  a  dialect  of  Zulu. 
This  was  a  great  advantage,  as  school-books  and  translations  were 
ready  for  the  work. 

Chikusi,  the  paramount  chief  of  this  race,  was  visited  by  Dr 
Laws  and  Mr  James  Stewart  in  August  1878,  three  years  after 
the  commencement  of  the  Mission  at  Cape  Maclear.  His  village 
was  situated  in  an  open,  desolate  part  of  country,  over  which  one 
could  look  in  almost  any  direction  for  a  distance  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles — the  view  being  obstructed  only  by  weird-like  rocky 
peaks  or  scraggy  bushes.  As  the  expedition  approached,  two 
of  the  carriers  were  despatched  to  acquaint  him  with  the  fact. 
If  a  thunderbolt  had  fallen  at  his  feet  he  could  not  have  been 
more  terrified.  "  No,  no,"  he  said ;  "  tell  them  not  to  come  near 
Chikusi's  village,  because  if  I  see  them  I  am  a  dead  man." 
Scarcely  had  he  uttered  the  words  when  the  whole  party  appeared 
in  sight,  close  to  his  stockade.  His  mother  at  once  issued  orders 


i86  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

that  all  should  flee  for  their  lives.  Much  confusion  ensued,  as 
the  councillors  were  loth  to  believe  that  the  expedition  could  have 
come  for  peaceful  purposes,  and  insisted  that  there  must  be  some 
underlying  reasons.  It  was  a  long  time  before  they  were  assured 
to  the  contrary,  and  it  was  only  after  a  delay  of  four  days  that 
Chikusi  made  himself  visible.  He  summoned  up  courage  to  sit 
at  some  distance  on  an  ant  heap,  but  kept  a  strong  body  of 
retainers  round  him  lest  anything  "  English "  should  touch  him 
and  kill  him. 

After  a  prolonged  discussion  this  dark-minded  Ngoni  chief 
gave  his  cordial  approval  and  support  to  the  planting  of  a  Mission 
Station  in  his  district ;  but  he  was  so  terribly  superstitious  on  the 
whole  matter,  that  as  the  expedition  quitted  his  village,  he  begged 
them  not  to  leave  any  evil  spirits  or  any  medicines  that  would 
bewitch  him ! 

Nothing  could  be  done  for  a  few  years  owing  to  lack  of  workers, 
but  in  the  end  of  1885,  Albert  Namalambe',  the  first  convert  at 
Cape  Maclear,  was  sent  to  the  district  in  order  to  make  observa- 
tions and  pave  the  way  for  a  white  man.  He  wrote  a  graphic 
account  of  his  visit  in  the  Nyanja  language,  a  few  translated 
passages  of  which  may  be  of  interest,  especially  when  we  remember 
who  the  writer  was  : 

"Early  in  the  day  I  came  to  the  headman  of  Chikusi.  He 
received  us  with  his  heart,  and  gave  us  a  house  and  a  goat,  and 
I  was  there  on  Sabbath.  Then  I  asked  him  to  take  me  to  the 
chief;  and  I  gave  him  four  fathoms  of  my  cloth,  equal  to  eight 
yards. 

"  Doctor,  I  tell  you  of  the  customs  of  the  Ngoni.  They  are 
a  thinking  people.  When  I  arrived  they  sent  messengers  to  all 
the  villages  to  understand  how  the  white  men  are  coming  to  their 
country.  Then  they  brought  together  ten  councillors  and  hundreds 
of  people.  Those  councillors  received  us  with  heart  and  body  and 
soul.  Then  they  asked,  'What  do  you  come  for  ? '  They  thought 
we  came  to  spy  their  country,  so  as  to  bring  war  again.  Some 
said, '  They  are  the  Makwangara ' ;  some  said, '  They  are  the  people 
of  Makanji.  It  is  good  for  us  to  kill  these  men  ! '  But  the  head- 
men said  '  No  ! '  Then  all  the  people  were  angry  with  us  because 
the  headmen  refused  to  kill  us.  They  then  asked,  '  What  are  you 
come  for  ? '  We  said,  '  The  white  men  have  sent  us,  saying,  Go 
to  Chikusi,  say  that  the  white  men  are  coming  to  teach  the  Word 


IN  FAR-OFF  REGIONS  181 

of  God,  to  give  sick  people  medicine,  and  to  teach  their  children 
the  Kalata  (letters).  We  did  not  come  here  for  your  country  or 
to  be  your  chiefs.  No  ! '  Then  they  asked  and  said,  '  Is  he  Dr 
Laws  ?  If  it  is  he,  we  know  that  it  is  well ;  but  if  another,  we 
don't  want  him.' 

"There  was  no  rest  to  the  questioning.  I  had  not  with  me 
cloth  to  buy  food,  and  I  became  very  lean  with  hunger.  I  took 
my  cloth  for  covering  myself,  and  finished  it  in  buying  food. 
Doctor,  I  saw  Chikusi  with  my  eyes,  and  I  saw  his  country  with 
my  eyes  !  His  country  is  good  indeed,  and  his  people  have  ears, 
and  cleverness,  and  sense.  He  wishes  medicine,  and  the  Word  of 
God,  and  a  school." 

This  somewhat  amusing  letter  shows  that  the  people  only  dimly 
comprehended,  on  account  of  their  superstitions,  the  true  reason 
for  a  white  man  venturing  into  their  midst.  Verily,  they  were 
steeped  in  heathenism. 

Another  visit,  however,  was  made  by  Dr  Laws  in  October 
1886,  when  further  explanations  were  given  and  final  arrange- 
ments made  for  the  commencement  of  missionary  work;  and 
the  following  year  this  long-contemplated  Station  was  opened 
up  in  the  beautiful,  Scottish-like  valley  of  Livlezi,  about  thirty 
miles  east  of  Chikusi's  villages,  by  Rev.  George  Henry,  M.A., 
M.B.,  CM.,  and  Mr  Maurice  M'Intyre,  teacher.  The  spot 
selected,  though  so  many  miles  from  the  chiefs  quarters — the 
magnificent  Kirk  range  of  mountains,  with  the  Chirobwe"  peak 
lying  between — was  a  very  suitable  one  in  many  respects.  It 
was  considered  to  be  fairly  healthy,  being  about  3000  feet 
above  sea-level,  and  far  removed  from  any  swamp.  It  had  also 
an  immense  population :  there  were  villages  upon  villages — or 
rather  townships — all  round  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see.  Dr 
Henry  could  count  as  many  as  twenty  within  a  walk  of  twenty 
minutes. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  beautiful  Livlezi  valley  were  peaceful 
and  industrious,  having  no  great  desire  for  war  and  blood,  and 
carrying  on  their  daily  work  in  quietness  when  unmolested  by 
enemies.  But  the  Ngoni  on  the  plateau  to  the  west,  where 
Chikusi  lived,  were  of  the  same  Zulu  stock  as  those  on  the 
uplands  near  Bandawe*,  having  once  been  a  subject  tribe  under 
Chaka.  Some  of  them  showed  a  similar  tendency  to  brutal  raiding 
and  fierce  warlike  methods  of  existence,  especially  when  excited 


1 82  DAY 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

with  native  beer.  At  one  time  they  made  a  great  raid  across  the 
Shire  into  the  Zomba  district,  burning  many  prosperous  villages, 
and  throwing  the  white  population  at  Blantyre  into  a  state  of 
excitement.  Often  large  numbers  of  them  visited  the  Livlezi 
valley  for  purposes  of  plunder,  massacring  many  of  the  timid, 
peaceful  inhabitants,  and  causing  the  rest  to  flee  to  the  bush  for 
safety.  To  describe  their  cruel  depredations  would  simply  be  to 
repeat  the  blood-curdling  records  of  Mombera's  warriors.  They 
did  not  hesitate  even  to  attack  parties  connected  with  the  Mission. 
One  day  a  band  of  them  set  upon  and  plundered  eight  of  the 
Mission  carriers,  with  five  bales  of  blankets  and  handkerchiefs, 
two  cases  of  lead,  a  box  of  Dr  Henry's  containing  valuable 
manuscripts  and  notes,  and  numerous  other  things.  Two  of  the 
carriers  fled  to  Cape  Maclear,  other  two  reached  Livlezi,  having 
escaped  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  while  the  remaining  four  lost 
their  way  in  the  bush  in  their  attempt  to  save  themselves,  one  of 
them  ultimately  dying  of  hunger  and  thirst. 

The  work  at  this  southern  Station  continued  successfully,  and 
without  interruption,  until  the  end  of  1890,  when  it  had  to  be 
left  in  the  hands  of  the  natives,  owing  to  the  death  of  Mr  M'Intyre 
and  the  subsequent  illness  of  Dr  Henry.  For  some  time  the 
former  had  been  showing  symptoms  of  breakdown,  and,  having 
almost  completed  his  first  five  years'  term,  was  urged  to  go  home 
on  furlough.  He  left  Livlezi  in  October  1890.  At  Blantyre  he 
seemed  to  be  well,  but  while  on  the  Kwakwa  River  he  was  seized 
with  fever.  He  managed  to  reach  Kilimane  on  November  3oth, 
but  though  carefully  nursed  by  Mr  A.  C.  Ross  of  the  Lakes 
Company  and  two  local  doctors,  he  succumbed  next  day.  It  was 
no  small  loss  to  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  as  he  had  spared  no 
pains  in  his  work,  and  had  laboured  incessantly  for  the  spread  of 
the  Gospel  in  this  dark,  superstitious  region.  His  removal  was  all 
the  more  felt  because  of  Dr  Henry's  illness  about  the  same  time, 
necessitating  his  leaving  for  home.  There  was  now  no  white  man 
left  to  take  charge  of  the  Station.  The  staff  of  Livingstonia 
missionaries  being  as  yet  small,  and  some  of  them  being  engaged 
at  Bandawe",  some  in  Ngoniland,  some  in  North  Nyasa  and  else- 
where, no  one  could  be  spared  from  his  own  important  work  to  go 
to  Livlezi  until  reinforcements  arrived. 

The  work  was,  however,  preserved  by  natives,  under  the 
protection  of  Chikusi,  until  the  return  of  Dr  and  Mrs  Henry 


IN  F4R-OFF  REGIONS  183 

in  December  1891.  It  was  then  recommenced  with  much 
earnestness  and  faith,  a  vast  amount  of  preaching,  teaching,  and 
healing  being  accomplished  every  day.  Month  after  month  Dr 
Henry  laboured  in  a  quiet  way,  doing  incalculable  good,  both  to 
the  bodies  and  the  souls  of  these  poor  Africans,  and  yet  fighting 
hard  against  an  amount  of  heathenism  and  degradation  that  can 
never  be  described  in  words.  Only  the  day  will  declare  what 
courage,  what  faith,  what  perseverance  many  of  our  missionaries 
have  manifested  in  the  midst  of  a  sea  of  troubles,  receiving  at  the 
same  time  little  sympathy  and  help  from  professing  Christians  at 
home.  Often  struggling  with  abounding  wickedness,  their  hearts 
almost  broken  with  care,  their  hands  worn  with  labour,  their  work 
sometimes  thwarted  and  cramped  by  the  lack  of  necessary  funds, 
they  have,  nevertheless,  struggled  onward  with  unbroken  faith  in 
God,  until  at  last  they  fell  as  martyrs  in  a  noble  cause. 

On  5th  May  1892  Dr  Henry's  wife  was  taken  from  him 
through  fever.  She  had  been  an  ever-faithful  helper  to  him, 
especially  in  conducting  classes  among  the  girls,  and  her  death 
left  him  heartsore  and  crippled  in  his  work.  But  he  remained 
heroically  at  his  post,  healing  the  sick,  ministering  to  souls 
diseased,  and  extending  his  work  in  all  directions.  He  made 
Livlezi  a  centre,  from  which  various  outposts  were  wrought.  In 
August  1892  work  was  commenced  at  Gowa,  about  fifteen  miles 
south,  by  Mr  W.  Govan  Robertson,  who  gathered  together  a 
successful  school  in  spite  of  many  difficulties.  About  the  same 
time  an  outpost  was  planted  at  Mpondera,  on  the  skirt  of  the 
plateau,  about  sixteen  miles  north-west  of  Livlezi,  by  Mr  James 
H.  Aitken.  Other  populous  places  round  about  were  also  taken 
possession  of  for  Christ,  and  an  immense  amount  of  work  was 
carried  on  in  a  quiet  and  successful  way.  Altogether,  in  the  whole 
district,  Dr  Henry  and  his  assistants  preached  the  Gospel  to  more 
than  a  thousand  heathen  every  Sunday. 

But  on  July  5th,  1893,  this  hard-working  missionary  fell  a 
martyr  to  fever — about  a  year  after  his  wife.  He  was  hoping 
soon  to  make  further  extensions,  both  at  Livlezi  and  in  all  direc- 
tions ;  and  he  had  just  written  home  for  a  bicycle  to  enable  him 
more  rapidly  to  visit  the  people  and  out-stations.  Two  bicycles 
were  offered,  and  one  was  about  to  be  packed  for  despatch  when 
the  sad  news  of  his  death  arrived.  Never  was  any  Christian 
missionary  more  busy  and  more  hopeful  of  results,  when  the 


1 8  4  DAT  BREAK  IN  L I  KINGSTON  I  A 

"black"  fever — that  dread  disease  which  had  sent  him  home 
three  years  before — cut  him  off  altogether. 

The  circumstances  attending  his  last  moments  are  very  pathetic. 
Feeling  very  ill,  he  left  Livlezi  along  with  Mr  Aitken  en  route  for 
Blantyre,  in  order  to  receive  medical  treatment.  He  was  carried 
in  a  machila  *  and  was  so  weak  that  little  hopes  were  entertained 
of  his  recovery.  At  the  Rivi  Rivi  stream  he  began  to  complain 
of  pain,  and  while  the  party  were  resting  at  the  Kampeni  River, 
his  case  became  serious.  Mr  Aitken  asked  him  if  he  would  be 
able  to  go  on  to  Blantyre.  He  smiled  and  said,  "  If  you  are 
willing,  I  am  ready."  Not  properly  understanding  him,  Mr  Aitken 
called  on  the  men  to  proceed ;  but  the  wearied  missionary  held 
up  his  hand  and  said,  "  No,  no,  not  that."  Then  the  end  came, 
and  his  spirit  fled  to  the  better  land. 

A  stranger  once  accosted  an  old  villager  in  Derbyshire,  hoping 
to  glean  some  stray  traditions  of  the  Findernes,  once  a  well-known 
family  there.  "  Findernes  ?  "  replied  the  old  man.  "  We  have 
no  Findernes  here  now :  but  we  have  something  that  speaks  of 
them — we  have  Findernes'  flowers."  The  stranger  was  led  into 
a  field,  where  traces  still  remained  of  a  house.  "  There  ! "  said 
the  villager,  pointing  to  a  bed  of  flowers,  "there  are  Findernes' 
flowers  brought  by  Sir  Geoffrey  from  the  Holy  Land.  Nothing 
seems  to  kill  them."  Even  so,  Dr  and  Mrs  Henry  had  passed 
away,  but  they  left  behind  them  traces  that  could  never  be 
obliterated.  The  converts  from  superstition  and  barbarism,  living 
by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God  and  exhibiting  newness  of  life,  are  so 
many  undying  flowers  that  tell  of  these  honoured  missionaries  and 
their  labours  there. 

The  work  was  continued  by  Mr  James  H.  Aitken,  Mr  Govan 
Robertson,  and  Rev.  Alexander  Dewar.  The  first  of  these,  how- 
ever, was  soon  called  away  from  his  earthly  labours — on  February 
8th,  1894 — and  was  sorrowfully  laid  to  rest  beneath  Africa's  soil.f 

At  last,  through  the  shifting  of  populations,  and  the  gradual 
advancement  of  civilisation  in  Nyasaland,  it  became  advisable  that 
Livlezi  station  should  be  handed  over  to  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church,  which  was  anxious  to  undertake  it  along  with  Mvera,  and 
that  our  Scotch  Livingstonia  missionaries  should  concentrate  their 

*  A  hammock  or  wicker-work  couch  slung  on  a  pole  and  carried  by  porters, 
t  See  "  Home  in  Heathen-Land,"  by  his  brother  George  Aitken,  who  went 
out  with  him  in  1890.     Aberdeen  :  G.  &  W.  Fraser. 


IN  FAR-OFF  REGIONS  185 

attention  on  the  more  important  and  northern  regions  of  Nyasaland. 
Accordingly,  in  September  1894,  Livlezi,  with  the  whole  of  South 
Nyasa,  was  taken  charge  of  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Murray,  an  agent  of 
that  Church. 

This  devoted  missionary  and  his  staff  of  willing  helpers  did  not 
find  the  work  easy.  They  experienced  many  hardships  and 
dangers  peculiar  to  the  district.  They  suffered  almost  daily  from 
fever  and  weakness,  owing  to  the  continual  heat  and  unhealthiness 
of  the  place  ;  and  worse  still,  their  lives  were  constantly  in  danger 
through  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  young  chief  Gomani,  aged  only 
17  or  1 8,  who  had  succeeded  his  father,  Chikusi,  on  his  death  in 
August  1891.  This  impulsive,  ill-conditioned  young  fellow  un- 
fortunately fell  under  the  influence  of  the  Yao  chief,  Mponda,  and 
entered  heartily  into  his  slaving  depredations.  One  of  his  first 
exploits  was  to  murder  most  of  his  father's  old  rulers,  who  were 
friendly  to  the  Mission,  and  to  substitute  reckless  young  councillors 
of  his  own  mind,  who  strongly  supported  him  in  his  slave-raiding 
schemes.  When  firmly  established,  he  began  a  wide  system  of 
plunder  and  warfare.  He  fought  for  a  long  time  with  Chifisi, 
another  Ngoni  ruler,  until  he  was  compelled  by  the  British  Ad- 
ministrator to  make  peace.  This  and  other  matters  left  a  certain 
amount  of  rancour  in  his  mind  against  the  white  men,  and  led 
him  to  threaten  the  Livlezi  Station,  putting  Mr  Murray  and  his 
friends  in  circumstances  of  great  peril.  At  last,  in  the  autumn  of 
1896,  encouraged,  doubtless,  by  the  Matabele  successes  south  of 
the  Zambesi,  he  attacked  the  south-western  portion  of  the  British 
Protectorate,  massacring  many  people,  but  was  speedily  defeated, 
captured,  and  executed  by  the  Administrator. 

During  this  time  of  danger  the  Station  at  Livlezi  had  to  be 
abandoned  by  the  Dutch  missionaries,  who  removed  to  the  high 
plateau  in  Central  Ngoniland,  about  eighty  miles  to  the  north- 
west. Here  they  founded  an  excellent  Station  at  Mkhoma,  about 
twenty-seven  miles  from  their  brethren  at  Mvera.  The  work  here 
has  prospered  so  rapidly,  and  the  district  is  so  cool  and  healthy, 
that  this  station  has  become  the  central  permanent  one,  and 
Livlezi  has  been  handed  over  to  the  care  of  native  teachers. 

And  thus,  as  the  persecution  of  the  early  disciples  at  Jerusalem 
drove  them  away  and  led  to  the  extension  of  the  Gospel,  so  the 
opposition  of  this  wild  Ngoni  ruler,  and  other  adverse  circum- 
stances, have  been  used  by  God  for  the  expansion  of  the  Mission. 


1 86  DA? 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

Events  which  appeared  to  the  eye  of  man  to  threaten  inevitable 
destruction,  so  that  it  was  a  questiou  whether  missionary  work  at 
Livlezi  could  continue  to  exist  or  would  be  annihilated,  have  on 
the  contrary  been  converted  into  the  means  of  invigorating  and 
strengthening  it. 

TANGANYIKA  PLATEAU 

This  chapter  would  not  be  complete  without  the  mention  of 
another  advantageous  field  in  the  north  which  was  taken  possession 
of  for  Christ  in  1894,  viz.,  Mwenzo,  on  the  Nyasa-Tanganyika 
plateau,  among  the  once  powerful  Winamwanga  tribe.  For  some 
years  this  valuable  post  on  the  road  to  Tanganyika  had  been  wait- 
ing for  the  Gospel,  and  was  ready  to  receive  a  white  missionary ; 
and  so,  in  August  of  that  year,  it  was  opened  up  by  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Dewar. 

The  word  "  Mwenzo "  means  "  heart,"  this  district  being  the 
source  of  the  Congo  and  Zambesi  waters,  and  in  reality  the  heart 
of  Africa.  It  is  a  very  healthy  place,  being  the  highest  part  of 
the  plateau,  about  6000  feet  above  sea  level,  and  well  watered 
and  wooded. 

It  is  seven  days'  journey  from  Karonga,  but  only  four  miles 
from  the  Lakes  Company's  important  station  of  Fife,  where  a 
large  number  of  natives  are  employed,  the  carriers  from  Nyasa 
completing  their  week's  journey  here,  and  a  new  set  of  men  taking 
up  the  loads  and  carrying  them  on  to  Tanganyika. 

It  is  inhabited  immediately  to  the  south-west  by  the  warlike 
and  dreaded  Wemba,  who  are  a  numerous  and  most  intelligent 
tribe,  and  may  be  said  to  be  the  aristocracy  of  the  plateau.  They 
are  the  last  of  the  fierce  tribes  now  left  in  the  Nyasa  region  since 
those  once  savage  Zulus,  the  Ngoni,  were  led  by  our  missionaries 
to  beat  their  assegais  into  ploughshares.  They  are  believed  to 
have  come  originally  from  the  country  of  Itawa,  on  the  south- 
west coast  of  Tanganyika.  Soon  after  settling  down  in  their 
present  district,  they  came  under  the  evil  influence  of  slave-raiding 
Arabs,  who  made  them  allies,  and  supplied  them  with  guns  and 
gunpowder.  By  their  extraordinary  zest  for  slave-hunting,  and 
their  constant  attacking  and  burning  of  innocent  villages,  they 
have  terrified  nearly  all  the  tribes  on  the  plateau  and  even  in  the 
German  territory,  and  broken  them  up  so  that  they  are  now  mere 
remnants  of  what  they  once  were.  They  show  terrible  cruelty  to 


NATIVE  GRAIN  STORE  AND  HUT,  BANDAWE. 


MISSION  HOUSE,  MWENZO. 


IN  FAR-OFF  REGIONS  187 

captives  and  slaves,  sometimes  putting  out  their  eyes,  or  cutting 
off  their  lips,  hands,  ears,  or  nose,  through  mere  caprice,  or  for 
the  slightest  disobedience.  Occasionally  a  few  people  are  merci- 
lessly mutilated  or  killed,  simply  to  show  the  power  of  the  chief, 
and  keep  them  in  constant  fear  of  him.  On  one  occasion  four 
unfortunate  men  were  killed  by  spear  thrusts  and  their  heads 
battered  with  axes,  merely  for  acting  as  guides  in  connection  with 
the  African  Lakes  Company. 

The  Livingstonia  Mission,  by  planting  this  Station  at  Mwenzo, 
is  on  the  very  border  of  this  bloodthirsty  tribe  and  yet  on  neutral 
ground,  with  a  good  prospect  of  carrying  on  successful  operations 
among  them. 

Mr  Dewar  arrived  at  this  distant  outpost  ill  and  weak,  owing  to 
the  unhealthy  climate  of  the  lowlands,  and  without  even  a  trained 
native  to  help  him.  He  first  visited  the  paramount  chief  of  the 
Winamwanga,  in  whose  district  Mwenzo  lay.  This  chief,  Chikana- 
malira  by  name,  but  called  "  Chik "  for  shortness,  lived  with  his 
fifty  wives  and  most  of  his  people  in  German  territory  on  the 
plain  at  the  foot  of  Chingambo  Mountains,  and  two  days  distant 
from  Mwenzo.  Mr  Dewar  found  that  here,  as  elsewhere,  the 
first  desire  of  the  chief  and  his  people  was  a  selfish  one — to  get 
something  and  become  wealthy  in  calico  and  beads — and  that  it 
would  require  months,  perhaps  years  of  patient  zeal  before  their 
hearts  could  be  directed  to  better  and  higher  things.  When  he 
offered  the  chief  a  fine  blanket  and  other  luxuries,  this  repre- 
sentative of  loyalty  was  far  from  satisfied,  and  demanded  his 
travelling  rug,  paraffin  lamp,  teapot  and  boots !  The  last-named, 
Mr  Dewar  says,  "were  fortunately  too  small,  yet  he  wouldn't 
believe  me  until  he  had  tried  to  get  his  foot  into  one." 

Mr  Dewar  had  to  set  about  building  his  own  shelter.  As 
famine  and  disease  were  rampant  at  the  time,  and  few  helpers 
could  be  obtained,  he  had  to  do  most  of  the  building  himself. 
There  was  no  time  to  lose,  as  it  was  September,  and  in  two 
months  torrential  rains  would  fall.  Besides,  lions  and  leopards 
were  constant  visitors  round  his  temporary  grass  hut.  "  It  was 
nothing,"  he  says,  "  but  work,  work,  work,  from  morning  to  night, 
without  time  even  for  a  noonday  rest  when  the  heat  was  great." 
At  last,  by  New  Year's  Day,  1895,  the  building  was  completed. 
When  we  remember  that  Mr  Dewar  could  procure  no  nails  for  the 
work,  and  that  suitable  trees  for  uprights  and  couples  could  only 


1 88  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

be  found  a  day's  journey  off,  we  cannot  but  admire  his  perseverance 
and  excellent  pioneering  abilities. 

Direct  missionary  work  was  zealously  commenced.  The  first 
school  and  church  services  were  held  in  the  open  air.  The 
children — with  little  or  no  clothing  on  their  brown  bodies — 
learned  the  alphabet  from  a  sheet  fastened  to  a  tree.  With  the 
assistance  of  Mrs  Dewar,  and,  later  on,  of  Mr  and  Mrs  Peter 
M'Callum,  the  degraded  Winamwanga  round  about  and  the  native 
carriers  at  Fife  learned  something  of  God's  love  and  man's 
salvation. 

The  neighbourhood  was  overrun  with  slavers,  notwithstanding 
the  stringent  measures  of  the  British  Administrator  and  his  execu- 
tion of  the  Arab  ringleader,  Mlozi.  Several  wretched  caravans 
were  made  up  in  the  vicinity  or  passed  near  the  Station  on  their 
way  to  the  coast.  One  day  in  1896,  while  the  resident  official  of 
the  British  South  Africa  Company  was  superintending  work  near 
Fife,  he  received  word  of  the  presence  of  a  slave-caravan  in  the 
district.  He  set  out  at  once  for  the  spot,  and  was  successful  in 
capturing  one  of  the  leaders,  the  other  committing  suicide  to 
escape  capture.  The  Arab  mail  was  also  taken,  and  a  large 
quantity  of  ivory.  Fifty-seven  poor  emaciated  slaves  were  rescued, 
some  of  whom  were  so  small  that  they  could  give  no  intelligent 
account  of  themselves.  Six  of  the  homeless  children  were  handed 
over  to  Mr  Dewar  to  take  care  of  and  educate. 

May  God  richly  bless  this  distant  outpost  of  the  Livingstonia 
Mission,  and  make  it  a  blessing  not  only  to  the  miserable,  degraded 
Winamwanga  and  kindred  tribes,  but  also  in  due  time  to  the  fierce, 
untamed  Wemba  savages. 

OTHER  DISTRICTS 

The  writer  has  said  nothing  of  the  remarkable  Training  Institu- 
tion at  Livingstonia*  in  North  Nyasa,  founded  by  Dr  Laws  in 
in  1894,  but  hopes  to  describe  it  later  on.  It  may  be  mentioned, 
however,  that  another  important  Station  has  just  been  commenced 
at  Kasungu,  in  the  Marimba  district,  among  Mwasi's  people,  by  Dr 
George  Prentice,  who  explored  this  hinterland  at  the  end  of  1897. 

*  Friends  of  the  Mission  should  note  that  the  name  "Livingstonia"  by  itself, 
now  applies  exclusively  to  the  Institution.  Bandawe  and  other  places  are  Stations 
of  the  Livingstonia  Mission, 


IN  F4R-OFF  REGIONS  189 

Thus  there  is  now  a  continuous  line  of  Stations  from  South  Nyasa, 
along  the  west  side  of  the  Lake,  to  Mwenzo,  five  hundred  miles 
inland,  and  the  Dutch  and  Scotch  sections  of  the  Mission  are 
coterminous.  To  God  be  all  the  praise  for  this  extraordinary 
progress,  unequalled  perhaps  in  the  missionary  annals  of  the  world  ! 

The  rapid  sketch  which  the  writer  has  given  in  this  chapter  will 
afford  some  idea  of  the  extending  power  of  the  Gospel.  In  1881 
there  was  one  small  Station  on  the  west  coast  of  Lake  Nyasa ; 
within  a  few  years  afterwards  there  were  flourishing  Stations  in  the 
north,  south,  and  west,  and  these,  too,  ever-widening  in  their 
operations.  The  Gospel  spread  like  leaven  into  surrounding 
regions,  taking  root  in  the  hearts  of  men,  in  face  of  the  bitter 
opposition  of  slave  traders,  and  in  spite  of  war  and  death.  The 
small  seed  planted  at  Bandawe*  amid  many  prayers  and  tears  has 
now  become  a  flourishing,  wide-spreading  tree. 

This  extension  is  much  wider  than  we  would  at  first  imagine, 
for  these  various  centres  are  not  within  a  few  hours'  reach  of 
Bandawe — they  cover  a  tract  of  country  nearly  twice  the  size  of 
Scotland. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  SLAVE-TRADE 

As  already  stated,  one  noble  work  to  which  the  Mission  set  itself 
from  its  commencement  was  the  suppression  of  slavery,  which  has 
been  rightly  denounced  as  "the  summation  of  all  villainies."  It 
was  the  one  great  scourge  which  existed  throughout  all  that  beautiful 
region,  and  the  suppression  of  it  was  certainly  a  work  which  had 
the  gracious  smile  of  Him  who  came  "  to  preach  deliverance  to 
the  captives,  and  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised." 

No  one  can  read  the  descriptions  given  by  Livingstone  and 
other  travellers  without  being  appalled  at  the  magnitude  of  the 
traffic,  and  the  terrible  devastation  and  demoralisation  which  flowed 
from  it.  The  story  is  an  old  one,  but  some  of  our  readers 
may  not  be  acquainted  with  it.  The  Arabs  of  Maskat  from  the 
Zanzibar  coast  and  the  half-breed  Portuguese  from  the  Zambesi 
were  the  principal  agents.  Having  secured  an  abundance  of  arms 
and  ammunition,  they  would  make  their  way  into  the  interior  of 
the  country  with  the  two-fold  object  of  obtaining  ivory  and 
securing  slaves  to  carry  it  to  the  coast.  When  they  had  collected 
or  purchased  a  large  pile  of  tusks,  they  would  then  seize  multitudes 
of  poor,  defenceless  natives  for  slaves,  burn  down  the  grass  huts, 
and  slaughter  in  cold  blood  all  who  endeavoured  to  escape.  The 
scenes  which  took  place  when  they  were  seized — men,  women, 
and  children  alike — in  their  own  quiet  villages  by  these  merciless 
bloodthirsty  slave-drivers,  and  had  the  huge  wooden  yoke  *  thrust 
on  their  necks  to  prevent  escape,  were  heartrending  and  revolting. 
Readers  can  imagine  the  misery  caused  simply  by  the  breaking  up 
of  families,  and  the  separation  of  brothers  and  sisters,  fathers  and 
mothers  in  different  gangs. 

*  The  slave-yoke,  or  gori,  usually  consisted  of  a  young  tree,  with  all  the 
branches  removed  except  a  bifurcation  at  the  end.  Into  this  bifurcation  the 
slave's  neck  was  thrust,  and  the  ends  were  united  by  an  iron  pin,  so  that  this 
heavy  log  was  attached  to  his  body,  preventing  his  running  away. 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  t9i 

This  system,  well  organised  by  the  leaders,  and  determinedly 
carried  out  with  the  aid  of  the  gun,  meant  not  only  a  tremendous 
amount  of  suffering  to  the  helpless,  unfortunate  slaves,  but  a 
speedy  devastation  and  depopulation  of  the  country.  It  meant 
lamentation,  mourning,  and  woe.  There  is  an  old  legend  of  a 
goblin  horseman  who  galloped  over  men's  fields  at  night;  and, 
wherever  his  foot  struck,  the  soil  was  so  blasted  that  nothing  would 
ever  grow  on  it  again.  So  was  it  with  the  Dark  Continent,  in 
nearly  all  its  central  regions,  over  which  the  baneful  feet  of 
slavery  were  allowed  to  tread.  For  hundreds  of  miles  inland,  and 
away  far  beyond  the  west  of  Lake  Nyasa,  the  country  in  certain 
directions  had  become  a  wilderness.  When  Livingstone  ascended 
the  Shire*  to  Nyasa  in  1858,  his  heart  was  melted  at  the  sight  of 
desolation  which  met  him.  Dead  bodies  floated  down  the  rivers 
and  became  food  for  the  crocodiles,  while  in  many  places  the  paths 
were  strewn  with  skeletons. 

But  the  sufferings  which  these  poor  natives  endured  when 
captured  were  nothing  compared  to  the  frightful  journey,  worse 
than  death,  that  they  had  to  undergo  to  the  coast — from  which 
they  were  shipped  off  to  the  markets  of  Pemba,  Madagascar,  and 
the  French  Tropical  Colonies,  or  taken  to  fill  the  harems  of  Islam. 
The  despotic  cruelty  and  brutality  which  they  received  during  this 
journey  of  two  or  three  months  passes  all  description,  many  being 
often  starved  or  tortured  to  death  for  every  one  that  reached  the  sea 
alive.  The  slave-leaders  accompanied  them,  and  in  appearance 
did  not  look  like  monsters.  Mr  Frederick  Moir,  of  the  African 
Lakes  Company,  in  a  description  given  of  a  caravan  which  he  saw, 
speaks  of  its  Arab  leader  as  polite  and  white-robed,  with  silver 
sword  and  daggers  and  silken  turban,  and  riding  sedately  on  a 
richly  caparisoned  donkey.  But  this  was  all  outward,  evidently, 
for  he  manifested  a  large  amount  of  cold-blooded  cruelty,  and  was 
quite  indifferent  to  the  misery  he  was  causing.  With  such  heart- 
less leaders,  the  slaves  were  goaded  onward — emaciated,  wounded 
by  the  whips  of  their  drivers,  often  burnt  by  the  falling  wood  of 
their  flaming  villages,  and  torn  by  the  rapid  march  through  forest 
tangle. 

Any  becoming  weak  and  disabled  for  the  march  were  put  to 
death.  A  terrible  blow  on  the  nape  of  the  neck  with  a  wooden 
bar,  a  piercing  cry,  and  then  the  convulsions  of  death !  It  was 
easily  done  and  struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  all  laggards,  nerving 


1 9*  DAT BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTTONIA 

them  to  almost  superhuman  efforts.  Starving  and  exhausted 
mothers  were  sometimes  relieved  of  the  burden  of  their  children 
by  seeing  their  brains  dashed  out  on  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  or  their 
living  bodies  cast  into  the  bush  to  be  devoured  at  dusk  by  hyenas 
and  other  wild  beasts.  A  heavier  tusk  could  now  be  given  to 
them  to  carry.  Strange  to  say,  the  slave-leaders  do  not  appear  to 
have  been  actuated  by  motives  of  commercial  expediency,  but 
rather  the  opposite. 

All  this  is  not  an  imaginative  picture,  but  one  which  has  been 
over  and  over  again  enacted,  in  all  reality  and  in  various  forms,  in 
the  interior  of  down-trodden  Africa.  As  we  sit  in  our  quiet  homes 
under  the  flag  of  freedom,  we  can  never  realise  the  shamefulness 
of  it  all.  The  writer  cannot  further  unroll  the  infamous  and 
almost  incredible  story.  Readers  would  feel  as  if  they  were  look- 
ing into  the  palpable  circles  of  Dante's  Inferno.  Who  would  not 
echo  the  poet's  feelings — 

"  Thus  man  devotes  his  brother,  and  destroys ; 
And  worse  than  all,  and  most  to  be  deplored, 
As  human  nature's  broadest,  foulest  blot, 
Chains  him,  and  tasks  him,  and  exacts  his  sweat 
With  stripes,  that  Mercy,  with  a  bleeding  heart, 
Weeps  when  she  sees  inflicted  on  a  beast. 
Then  what  is  man  ?    And  what  man  seeing  this, 
And  having  human  feelings,  does  not  blush, 
And  hang  his  head,  to  think  himself  a  man  ?  " 

When  the  existence  of  such  a  traffic  in  human  flesh  became 
realised  in  this  country,  the  hearts  of  many  were  melted.  Chris- 
tianity, among  its  other  unspeakable  blessings,  has  taught  us  the 
original  equality  of  mankind,  the  fraternal  love  which  should  bind 
all  men  together,  the  oneness  of  the  great  human  family  of  which 
tyranny  alone  has  made  two  races,  the  dignity  of  man  created  in 
the  image  of  God,  and  above  all  the  noble  destiny  of  man,  who 
becomes  a  freeman  through  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ.  Because 
of  such  eternal  truths,  slavery  is  inadmissible,  and  is  a  violation  of 
every  principle  of  humanity.  It  is  a  consolation  to  think  that 
Britain,  although  one  of  the  first  to  participate  in  the  horrible 
trade,  was  also  the  first  to  acknowledge  its  immorality  and  injustice, 
and  to  interfere  for  the  suppression  of  it.  As  a  result  of  Living- 
stone's revelations,  Her  Majesty's  Government  appointed  a  Com- 
mission in  1869  to  make  enquiries,  and  three  years  afterwards  sent 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  193 

Sir  Bartle  Frere  on  a  special  mission  to  Zanzibar  to  negotiate  with 
the  Sultan  regarding  the  prohibition  of  the  evil. 

Yet  it  went  on  increasing  under  Arab  and  Portuguese  agents, 
who  were  generally  heartless  villains.  Some  of  them,  no  doubt, 
were  really  civilised  men,  who  welcomed  any  anti-slavery  policy, 
and  who  talked  of  Livingstone  as  a  beneficent  being.  But  the 
most  of  them  were  the  sweepings  from  the  coast — Zanzibaris, 
Swahelis,  and  Rovuma  men — who  upheld  the  traffic  and  schemed 
hard  for  its  increase.  Such  men  lived  and  moved  principally  under 
the  protection  of  Portugal,  which  claimed  to  rule  the  east  coast  of 
Africa  and  much  of  the  inland  country,  but  in  her  weakness  failed 
to  do  so  properly.  She  had  been  one  of  the  first  Powers  to  abolish 
slavery  by  edict.  As  early  as  1836 — only  two  years  after  the 
British  Emancipation  Act — she  had  prohibited  the  export  of  slaves 
from  any  Portuguese  dominion,  and  again  in  1858  she  had  issued 
a  Royal  Decree  ordering  the  manumission  of  every  slave  belonging 
to  a  Portuguese  subject  in  twenty  years  from  that  date.  And  so, 
the  evil  continued  and  developed  to  a  most  alarming  extent,  in 
spite  of  all  protestations  and  efforts  to  prevent  it. 

Our  readers  will  have  noticed  from  previous  chapters  how  the 
traffic  was  thoroughly  established  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Mission  at 
Lake  Nyasa.  When  Mr  Young  and  his  pioneer  party  first  sailed  up 
the  river  from  the  Cataracts,  they  found  armed  Arabs  there,  who 
were  scouring  the  district  for  slaves,  and  who  did  their  best  to 
prevent  the  settlement  of  the  Mission  by  circulating  false  rumours 
as  to  its  object.  One  of  the  missionaries'  first  heartbreaks  was  the 
sight  of  gangs  of  slaves  with  the  heavy  yoke  on  their  neck.  "At 
Mponda's,"  says  Mr  Young,  "there  were  several  Arabs,  with  a 
great  number  of  slaves  bound  for  the  coast.  I  saw  them  viewing 
me  through  the  crowd  when  I  landed.  They  were  very  much 
frightened,  and  were  astonished  beyond  measure  to  see  a  steamer 
up  there." 

When  the  missionaries  became  acquainted  with  the  country 
around,  they  found  that  this  dreadful  traffic  in  human  beings 
flourished  on  all  sides.  Streams  of  slaves  poured  steadily  down 
from  these  inland  regions  to  the  coast  settlements  of  Ibo, 
Mozambique,  Angoche,  and  Kilimane.  The  number  that  passed 
close  to  the  Lake,  or  was  shipped  across  its  ferries  eastward,  was 
supposed  to  be  not  far  short  of  20,000  annually.  The  Bisa,  an 
industrial  people  that  sometimes  traded  with  the  coast,  and  other 
N 


I94  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

important  tribes  to  the  west,  were  being  carried  across  the  Lake 
amid  harrowing  scenes  of  cruelty.  There  was  also  a  vile  and 
degrading  kind  of  domestic  slavery  which  existed  all  over  the 
country.  Every  great  man  was  a  slave-owner,  who  kept  men  and 
women  in  bondage  for  his  own  benefit  and  aggrandisement,  and 
who  thought  nothing  of  selling  into  Arab  hands  any  of  these  who 
had  incurred  his  jealousy  or  ill-feeling. 

What  the  duty  of  the  missionaries  should  be  was  a  difficult 
question  to  solve,  as  forcible  interference  was  outside  of  their 
province,  and  could  only  do  harm  instead  of  good  to  the  Mission. 
To  pursue  an  active  warfare  against  the  slave-dealers,  whether 
Arabs  or  natives — to  fire  even  a  single  shot  at  them,  would  at 
once  place  the  missionaries  in  a  position  of  peril,  so  that  they 
could  not  venture  far  from  the  Station  without  endangering  their 
lives,  and  might  even  lead  to  the  complete  destruction  of  the 
Mission — a  result,  certainly,  which  could  not  be  compensated  by 
a  temporary  liberation  of  slaves.  It  was  very  painful  to  think 
that  this  nefarious  traffic,  an  insult  to  God  and  man,  should  be 
allowed  to  go  on  in  sight  of  the  British  flag  flying  from  the 
Mission  steamer,  or  in  close  proximity  to  the  Mission  Station. 
But  the  missionaries,  guided  by  the  written  instructions  received 
from  the  Committee  when  they  left  Scotland,  made  it  an  absolute 
rule  that  armed  interference  should  not  be  resorted  to,  except  in 
cases  of  self-defence  or  of  actual  attack.  Their  principle  was 
rather  one  of  conciliation  and  moral  suasion.  They  endeavoured 
by  the  teaching  and  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  undermine  the 
system,  showing  the  chiefs  and  others,  in  a  kind  Christian  way, 
that  it  was  an  evil,  and  that  they  were  acting  against  their  own 
interests  in  allowing  it  to  be  carried  on. 

The  Mission  party  had  not  long  to  wait  before  their  influence 
was  felt  by  the  Arabs.  No  sooner  had  they  arrived  than  fear 
took  hold  of  these  savage  oppressors.  The  very  presence  of 
white  missionaries  on  the  Lake,  under  British  prestige,  made 
them  tremble.  The  slave-traders  were  not  ignorant  of  the  power 
of  Britain — some  of  them  had  seen  her  ironclads  along  the  coast 
and  had  probably  heard  their  terrific  guns  ;  and  now,  when  they 
saw  the  British  flag  at  the  masthead  of  the  little  steamer — that 
flag  which  had  become  known  in  every  sea  and  on  every  land  as 
the  symbol  of  freedom — they  naturally  thought  that  their  nefarious 
work  would  be  irretrievably  damaged,  and  that  just  punishment 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  195 

might  follow.  We  need  not  wonder,  therefore,  that  when  Mr 
Young  and  his  party  arrived,  the  slave-raiders  became  somewhat 
terrified,  and  conveyed  no  slaves  across  the  Lake  for  some  time. 

The  Mission  settlement  at  Cape  Maclear  soon  became  an 
anti-slavery  centre,  to  which  many  fled  for  the  protection  of  the 
"English."  Formerly,  the  slave-dealer  had  only  to  tell  his  un- 
fortunate victims  that  "  the  English  eat  black  people,"  when  they 
would  of  their  own  accord  flee  from  the  presence  of  a  white  man. 
The  terror  of  slaves  when  Livingstone  confronted  them  was  often 
beyond  description.  But  now  a  change  had  come  over  the  native 
mind.  The  people  had  discovered  that  the  missionaries,  instead 
of  being  white  cannibals,  were  true  and  heroic  friends.  Often 
when  slave-gangs  were  made  up  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Station, 
some  managed  to  escape  from  their  merciless  oppressors,  and 
made  their  way  at  great  risk,  by  day  and  by  night,  to  where  the 
"  English  "  were.  They  were  no  savages,  but  kind  true-hearted 
people,  and  were  always  welcomed  at  the  Station  so  long  as  no 
serious  crime  could  be  proved  against  them.  They  looked  upon 
Cape  Maclear,  with  its  British  protection  and  Christian  treatment, 
as  a  magic  spell,  bringing  them  inexpressible  happiness  and 
security.  Even  some  of  the  slave-drivers,  hard  and  inhuman 
though  they  were,  came  to  regard  it  as  a  centre  of  heroism  and 
kindness,  for  not  long  after  the  Mission  was  planted  there  was  an 
instance  of  a  slave,  who  could  not  keep  pace  with  the  caravan, 
being  directed  to  the  Station — about  fifty  miles  off — instead  of 
being  massacred  in  cold  blood,  or  left  on  the  road  to  die.  "  After 
great  hardships,"  wrote  Mr  Young,  "he  arrived,  very  bad  with 
diseased  spine,  and  was  frightened  when  he  saw  people  with  white 
skins  and  straight  hair." 

After  Mr  Young's  return  home,  in  the  beginning  of  1877,  his 
public  statements  on  the  slave-trade,  and  especially  on  Portuguese 
implication  in  it,  caused  considerable  commotion  at  Lisbon. 
Portuguese  ministers  made  patriotic  speeches  denying  that  their 
country  had  been  inactive  in  suppressing  the  evil,  and  manifest- 
ing intense  indignation  against  Dr  Livingstone,  Captain  Cameron, 
and  Mr  Young.  They  asserted  that  the  Portuguese  authorities 
had  vigorously  co-operated  with  Britain  in  opposing  the  trade 
along  the  coast;  but  the  evidence  adduced  was  unsatisfactory, 
and  was  more  or  less  contradicted  by  the  British  Blue-Books. 
Further,  these  Portuguese  champions  were  significantly  silent 


196  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

concerning  the  inland  traffic  carried  on  or  supported  by  their 
countrymen,  to  which  so  many  trustworthy  travellers  had  drawn 
attention.  According  to  Mr  Young,  this  traffic  was  ramified  far 
and  wide  in  regions  controlled  by  Portugal,  and  was  even  more 
disastrous  than  that  on  the  coast.  Slaves  from  the  Senga  and 
Bisa  countries  in  the  Luangwa  valley  and  from  much  of  southern 
Nyasaland  were  taken  to  the  Portuguese  settlements  of  Tete, 
Sena,  and  Kilimane.  Dr  Livingstone  himself  seized  the 
Governor  of  Tete's  servant  by  the  throat  when  he  found  him 
leading  eighty-four  women  and  children  to  Tete,  and  heard  his 
confessions  of  his  master's  misdeeds.  It  may  emphatically  be  said 
that  an  enormous  system  of  slavery  and  tribal  war  was  pursued 
by  the  Portuguese  in  order  to  supply  tribes  along  the  Zambesi 
with  women  and  children. 

Perhaps  the  Lisbon  Government  was  not  fully  cognisant 
of  these  infractions  of  treaty  obligations  by  its  authorities  and 
colonists  in  East  Africa ;  or  if  cognisant,  perhaps  it  could 
not,  in  its  weakness  and  inability,  take  the  necessary  measures 
to  enforce  obedience.  But  that  its  representatives  in  Africa 
were,  to  a  very  serious  extent,  participators  in  this  shameful 
traffic  was  certain  ;  and  the  fact  that  it  denied  any  knowledge 
of  this  did  not  affect  the  question. 

The  hands  of  the  missionaries  were  somewhat  strengthened 
by  Seyyid  Burghash,  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar — a  Mahommedan 
prince  with  more  liberal  notions  than  most  of  his  co-religionists 
— whose  House  had  been  the  habitual  ally  of  the  British  for 
many  generations.  On  the  earnest  representations  of  Sir  John 
Kirk,  the  British  Consul-General,  this  Eastern  Ruler  issued, 
on  May  ist,  1876,  a  Proclamation  abolishing  the  slave-trade 
in  his  dominions  by  land  as  well  as  by  sea.  He  had  been 
forced  by  public  opinion  to  do  this  before — in  1873  —  but 
now  he  did  it  apparently  with  more  determination,  and  in  all 
honour  and  good  faith.  He  tried  to  stop  the  passage  of 
slave-traders  through  his  dominions.  He  seized  and  burned 
several  vessels  carrying  slaves.  He  imprisoned  the  Governor 
of  Kilwa  on  account  of  an  infraction  of  the  Proclamation, 
and  certainly  gave  some  traders  to  feel  that  the  traffic  in 
human  flesh  and  blood  was  full  of  risk  and  cost.  Many 
merchants  on  the  coast  were  alarmed  out  of  their  senses,  as 
they  found  loss  after  loss  coming  back  on  their  hands. 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  197 

Copies  of  the  Proclamation  were  given  to  Captain  Elton, 
the  British  Consul  at  Mozambique — a  man  of  energetic  character, 
whose  African  travels  are  well-known  to  many.  Thus  armed 
with  the  Sultan's  authority,  and  with  the  permission  of  Her 
Majesty's  Foreign  Office,  he  visited  the  various  chiefs  around 
Lake  Nyasa,  distributing  to  them  copies  of  the  Proclamation 
in  Swahili  and  Arabic,  and  warning  them  of  the  punishment 
they  incurred  if  they  disobeyed  it.  In  these  visits,  he  was 
accompanied  by  Dr  Stewart,  Dr  Laws,  and  others  from  the 
Mission  staff,  the  whole  party  proceeding  from  place  to  place 
in  the  I/a/a.  Among  the  powerful  slave-trading  chiefs  visited 
were  Jumbe  and  Mankambira  on  the  west  coast,  and  Makanjira 
and  Chitesi  on  the  east  coast.  Of  these,  Makanjira  was  perhaps 
the  greatest  offender,  and  in  this  character  was  well  known, 
by  name  at  least,  to  Sir  John  Kirk  and  the  other  British 
authorities  on  the  coast. 

The  Proclamation  was  so  emphatic  and  the  Sultan's  treatment 
of  transgressors  so  stringent,  that  many  people  believed  the 
slave-trade  would  be  at  once  shaken  to  its  centre,  and  that 
the  miserable  edifice  of  cruelty  would  speedily  totter  to  its 
fall,  never  to  be  repaired  or  set  up  again.  But,  alas !  it  was 
of  little  avail.  No  efforts,  missionary  or  political,  seemed  to 
make  any  permanent  change  in  the  existence  of  the  traffic. 
The  Arabs  who  formerly  carried  it  on  at  such  great  centres 
as  Kota-Kota  and  Losewa,  betook  themselves  further  inland 
to  Wisi,  Rua,  and  other  places  where  the  Sultan's  influence 
could  not  reach  them.  Others  remained  at  the  Lake,  considering 
the  Sultan's  authority  over  them  to  be  merely  nominal,  and 
regarding  his  Proclamation  as  little  more  than  a  good  joke 
so  far  as  Nyasaland  was  concerned.  But  whether  at  the  Lake 
or  further  inland,  they  were  all  unanimous  in  declaring  that 
they  intended  to  continue  as  before.  "  You  may  shut  up 
the  Zanzibar  coast,"  they  all  said,  "  but  the  traffic  will  go  on 
as  before,  only  we  shall  march  our  slaves  in  another  direction." 
The  Mission,  too,  was  becoming  known  in  its  true  character 
— as  a  peaceful  settlement,  and  not  as  a  colony  armed  against 
slavery.  The  little  steamer  was  beginning  to  be  regarded  now 
as  a  mere  Mission  ship,  and  not  as  a  Government  cruiser 
intended  to  burn  and  sink  slaving  daus  as  at  first  imagined ; 
and  when  the  Arabs  came  to  realise  this,  they  did  not  fail 


198  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

to  carry  on  their  nefarious  traffic  with  all  the  energy  they 
possessed,  although  they  concealed  it  when  possible  from  observa- 
tion. They  got  a  fright  at  first,  but  that  was  now  over. 

And  so,  with  disappointed  hopes,  the  missionaries  continued 
their  works  of  rescue.  The  Sultan's  Proclamation  had  failed,  and 
the  Mission  had  lost  much  of  its  terror ;  but  they  did  not  sit  idly 
by  while  the  horrible  traffic  went  on  around  them.  Over  and  over 
again  they  tried  to  liberate  slaves  without  using  force,  and  were 
generally  successful.  In  1877  they  saved  a  band  of  twenty-two 
men,  women  and  children  from  Arab  captors.  These  poor  slaves 
had  managed  to  escape  from  a  brutal  raid  at  Mpemba's  to  a  rocky 
island  about  fifteen  miles  north-west  of  Cape  Maclear,  from  which 
they  were  delivered  by  the  Ilala  and  brought  to  the  Mission. 
Part  of  the  touching  tale  may  be  told  in  Dr  Stewart's  own  words, 
written  shortly  afterwards : 

"  One  morning  lately,  between  five  and  six  o'clock,  Dr  Black 
put  his  head  in  at  the  door  of  my  hut  to  report  that  a  man  had 
arrived  in  the  middle  of  the  night  with  a  strange  story.  He  said 
this  man  had  come  alone  in  the  fragments  of  a  canoe  consisting 
of  two  pieces,  which  together  were  not  more  than  six  feet  in 
length.  We  were  at  first  a  little  suspicious  of  this  story ;  but  we 
all  went  down  to  the  dock  to  look  at  the  wonderful  craft.  It  was 
an  extraordinary  sight.  The  two  ends  of  a  large  canoe  were  tied 
together  by  ropes  made  of  bark  and  palm  fronds.  It  must  have 
admitted  so  much  water  that  the  bailing  to  keep  it  afloat  during 
the  voyage  must  have  been  harder  work  than  paddling.  How 
desperate  must  have  been  the  love  of  liberty  and  the  dread  of 
being  sold  to  a  slave  caravan  before  a  man  would  venture  himself 
in  such  a  structure !  The  Lake  is  deep,  constantly  liable  to 
storms,  and  with  voracious  crocodiles  everywhere.  No  white 
man  would  venture  a  hundred  yards  from  the  shore  in  such  a 
thing,  and  yet  it  appeared  that  this  native  had  been  nearly  two 
days  and  two  nights,  in  this  crazy  affair.  He  had  slept  the  second 
night  on  the  beach  at  Cape  Maclear,  having  arrived  at  midnight,  and 
made  his  appearance  at  the  Station  'in  the  morning.  He  was  in 
a  woeful  condition,  but  he  told  his  story  with  directness,  and  said 
that  he  and  twenty-one  others  were  about  to  be  sold  by  Mpemba, 
a  slaving  neighbour  of  ours  on  the  western  shore  of  the  Lake. 
They  had  seen  the  dau  which  had  come  to  take  them  away,  and 
having  got  information  from  a  friend,  they  fled  in  the  night  in 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  199 

a  large  canoe,  and  made  for  an  island  north  of  Cape  Maclear, 
about  five  hours  distant  by  steamer.  Their  canoe  had  got  com- 
pletely broken  as  they  landed  in  the  darkness  on  that  rocky 
island.  Yet  he  had  patched  up  the  fragments  in  a  wonderful 
way,  and  had  come  to  ask  the  assistance  and  protection  of  the 
English." 

Under  such  circumstances  no  time  could  be  wasted.  These 
poor  terrified  people  were  without  food,  and  had  no  means  of 
reaching  the  mainland.  Steam  was  at  once  got  up  on  the  //a/a, 
and  the  island  was  reached  about  midday.  The  missionaries 
found  the  man's  story  to  be  only  too  true.  The  people  were 
there,  in  extreme  wretchedness,  with  nothing  to  eat  but  a  handful 
of  maize  in  a  calabash,  and  a  few  wild  roots  which  they  had 
gathered  on  the  island.  They  were  soon  sitting  down  in  the 
steamer,  enjoying  a  well-cooked  meal,  without  any  fear  of  being 
sold  or  carried  away  captive.  In  the  morning  they  were  fugitives 
on  the  island,  terrified  beyond  description ;  in  the  evening  under 
the  flag  of  Britain  flying  above  the  Mission  Station,  they  were 
as  free  as  the  air  they  breathed,  and  as  happy  as  human  beings 
could  possibly  be.  Who  will  not  say,  Well  done ! 

In  1879,  another  gang  of  eleven — seven  men,  three  women, 
and  a  child — was  rescued  by  Messrs  Gunn  and  Ross  at  the 
south  of  Mpemba's  village.  The  yokes  were  taken  off  their 
necks,  and  they  were  set  at  liberty.  The  men,  who  had  been 
bought  on  the  hill  country  of  Chipeta,  returned  to  their  homes, 
while  the  women  at  their  own  desire  were  taken  in  the  boat 
to  the  Mission  Station.  No  force  was  of  course  used  towards 
those  in  charge — in  fact,  they  were  very  glad  to  escape  without 
being  punished. 

It  soon  began  to  be  discovered,  however,  that  to  attempt  to 
liberate  slaves  in  this  way  brought  down  upon  the  Mission  the 
wrath  of  neighbouring  chiefs  interested  in  the  traffic.  But  who 
will  not  admit  that  the  whole  matter  was  a  very  difficult  one  to 
deal  with?  Let  the  reader  imagine  his  own  feelings  in  such  a 
case,  where  he  has  the  power  in  his  hands,  and  is  yet  compelled 
to  stand  aside.  Would  there  not  arise  an  impulse  to  release 
them  co&te  que  cofite,  and  would  not  any  other  procedure  be  very 
much  like  refusing  a  rope  to  a  drowning  man  ?  "  However  much 
non-interference,"  wrote  Dr  Laws,  "is  correct  theoretically — and 
I  uphold  it  as  the  best  order  that  could  have  been  given  on  the 


200  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

subject — there  is  still  in  the  breast  of  every  free-born  Briton  such 
a  hatred  of  the  horrid  traffic,  that  when  one  comes  across  a  gang 
of  poor,  half-starved,  way-worn  fellow-creatures,  on  their  way  to 
the  coast — if  not  first  in  their  graves — and  is  morally  certain  that 
a  word  from  his  lips  or  a  flash  from  his  eye  is  enough  to  set  them 
all  at  liberty,  need  it  be  wondered  that  the  temptation  to  do  what 
is  at  the  moment  good  for  these  creatures  should  overcome  the 
patient  waiting  which  the  judgment  of  calmer  moments  pronounces 
to  be  the  better  plan  ?  " 

As,  however,  the  liberation  of  slaves  roused  all  the  ill-feeling  of 
owners,  it  was  necessary  to  be  careful ;  and  so  the  Committee  at 
home,  while  neither  approving  of  nor  condemning  the  actions  of 
the  missionaries,  recommended  that  in  future  great  caution  should 
be  used  in  case  the  Mission  should  be  involved  in  difficulty  and 
danger. 

Apart  from  the  direct  liberation  of  slaves,  even  the  reception  of 
fugitives  at  the  Station  caused  great  offence,  as  according  to  native 
custom,  such  fugitives  should  be  returned.  Segoli,  a  noted  slaver, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Cape,  suffered  most  in  this  way  and  was 
loud  in  his  murmurings.  To  prevent  any  undesirable  result,  the 
missionaries  began  in  1879  to  adopt  a  safer  method  in  such  cases. 
With  the  consent  of  the  Committee,  they  agreed  to  give  protection 
and  refuge  to  all  slaves  who  came  to  the  Mission,  on  condition 
that  no  crime  could  be  proved  against  them  within  a  month,  and 
that  they  were  willing  to  work  out  their  ransom.  They  were  to 
live  in  the  Mission  settlement  until  they  had  earned  the  price 
which  the  slave-owner  had  paid  for  them,  or  the  usual  price  of 
slaves  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  this  price  would  then  be  handed 
to  the  slave-holder  on  application  for  it.  This  was  giving  com- 
pensation to  the  masters,  as  Britain  herself  had  done  in  1834, 
when  she  abolished  slavery  in  all  her  colonies ;  and  it  was  also  a 
test  of  the  slave's  real  desire  for  freedom. 

Not  many  months  afterwards,  however,  Dr  Laws  was  informed 
by  the  nearest  British  Consul  that  it  was  illegal  to  interfere  even 
in  this  way.  No  slave,  he  was  told,  could  be  liberated  as  had 
been  done;  much  less  could  any  fugitive  slave  be  received  and 
sheltered  at  the  Mission  Station.  The  Committee  at  home,  on 
being  made  aware  of  this,  communicated  with  the  Foreign  Office, 
and  enquired  whether  the  missionaries  might  not  at  least  give  fugitive 
slaves  "the  right  of  sanctuary,"  in  order  to  escape  death,  or  the  terrible 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  201 

poison  ordeal  which  was  of  common  occurrence.  Surely  no 
person  flying  for  refuge  to  the  Station  should  be  molested  while 
there,  thus  giving  the  missionaries  time  to  intercede  on  his  behalf, 
if  necessary.  In  reply,  Earl  Granville  stated  that  the  only  rights 
which  missionaries,  or  persons  similarly  situated,  could  claim  were 
those  which  were  conceded  to  them  by  the  chief  in  whose  country 
they  settled.  "  Considering  the  strong  feeling  of  resentment,"  he 
said,  "  which  a  direct  interference  in  disputes  between  slaves  and 
their  masters  is  certain  to  excite,  Her  Majesty's  Government  can 
only  advise  the  exercise  of  great  caution,  tact,  and  patience,  in 
order  to  gain  in  time  the  noble  objects  which  the  Free  Church  of 
Scotland  have  in  view." 

From  this  time  onwards  the  slave-trade  in  Nyasaland  was 
allowed  to  take  its  own  course,  so  far  as  direct  missionary  inter- 
ference was  concerned.  The  missionaries  could  now  do  nothing 
in  the  matter,  except  act  as  spectators  and  informants  of  it,  and 
teachers  regarding  its  evils,  since  it  was  now  established  that  they 
had  no  legal  right  to  receive  slaves. 

The  traffic  continued  to  grow  in  all  directions  under  Portuguese 
and  other  influences.  Large  bands  of  slaves  were  transported 
every  now  and  then  from  Nyasaland.  Taking  their  departure 
from  such  chiefs  as  Jumbe",  Mponda,  and  Makanjira,  many  of  the 
caravans  at  this  time  crossed  the  Lujenda  at  Matarika's  and  made 
their  way  to  Mwalia,  the  capital  of  the  Medo,  and  thence  by 
several  roads  to  the  coast.  In  1881,  two  Universities'  missionaries, 
passing  through  the  country  east  of  Nyasa,  came  across  a  caravan  of 
not  less  than  two  thousand  souls  taking  this  route  to  Kisanga.  Fresh 
slave-depots  were  formed  in  many  parts  around  the  Lake.  Chiefs 
who  had  hitherto  remained  passive  began  to  assist  with  remarkable 
activity.  Remonstrances,  appeals,  threats  were  all  in  vain  to 
prevent  these  things.  The  Arabs  were  determined  to  have  slaves 
even  at  the  cost  of  wars  and  bloodshed.  The  old  dread  of  the 
British  missionaries  on  the  Lake  was  wearing  away  from  their 
minds,  and  they  began  rather  to  assume  threatening  airs  towards 
the  Mission.  Realising  the  powerlessness  of  the  missionaries  to 
deal  with  the  matter,  except  in  a  moral  way,  both  Arabs  and 
Swaheli  began  to  commit  deeds  and  to  use  liberties  which  they 
would  not  have  dreamt  of  shortly  after  the  first  arrival  of  the 
Mission  band.  In  1882,  for  example,  three  girls  were  actually 
seized  on  their  way  home  from  the  Mission  School  at  Bandawe*. 


202  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONE 

Two  men,  who  evidently  knew  the  weakness  of  the  Mission, 
rushed  out  of  the  bush,  seized  the  helpless  girls,  carried  them  off 
to  Kota-Kota,  about  seventy  miles  south,  and  sold  them  as  slaves 
to  Jumbe.  This  resulted  in  all  the  girls  being  withdrawn  for  a 
time  from  the  school,  as  no  parents  wished  their  children  to  be 
kidnapped.  In  the  beginning  of  1883,  a  large  caravan  actually 
took  up  its  headquarters  at  Chitesi,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Lake, 
the  very  centre  of  the  Universities'  Mission,  causing  no  end  of 
trouble  to  Rev.  Mr  Johnson,  the  missionary  there.  And  it  was 
the  same  with  the  London  Missionary  Society  at  Tanganyika. 
When  Mr  Frederick  Moir  and  Lieutenant  Pulley  made  a  journey 
to  the  south  end  of  this  Lake,  carrying  with  them  sections  of  the 
steam-launch  Good  News,  they  found  the  Lake  shore  desolated, 
most  of  the  people  having  fled  from  the  slave-traders.  Thriving 
villages  had  been  obliterated,  and  Captain  Hore  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society  had  been  forced  to  change  his  headquarters 
forty  miles  further  west  along  the  southern  shore. 

Representations  were  being  continually  made  by  the  Committee 
at  home  to  the  Foreign  Office  on  the  seriousness  of  the  matter, 
but  in  spite  of  all  attempts  to  arrest  or  prevent  the  traffic,  it 
continued  to  exist  to  an  alarming  extent,  and  to  assume  a  more 
organised  character. 

Worst  of  all,  the  missionaries  could  do  nothing  but  look  on. 
If  they  had  obeyed  their  own  feelings  they  would  speedily 
have  used  force,  but  prudence  and  the  orders  of  Government 
prevented  them.  They  could  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives 
in  a  spiritual  sense,  but  alas  !  they  could  give  no  deliverance  from 
the  terrible  gori,  "Again  and  again,"  wrote  Dr  Laws,  "have 
those  in  the  Mission  Station  been  awakened  by  a  timid  knock  at 
the  door  or  the  bedroom  window,  or  by  the  wailing  cry  '  Mzungu ' 
('  white  man ')  in  a  woman's  voice,  and  on  asking  the  reason,  the 
answer  would  be  returned  that  some  slave-trader  had  come,  and 
that  her  master  had  resolved  to  sell  her.  The  warning  whisper 
of  a  friend  had  told  her  of  her  danger,  and  as  soon  as  deep  sleep 
had  fallen  on  the  villagers,  she  would  dare  the  risks  of  the  wild 
beasts  prowling  about  in  search  of  their  prey,  in  the  hope  of 
finding  at  the  Mission  Station  a  safety  and  protection  it  is  not  in 
the  power  of  the  missionary  to  afford." 

A  step  forward  was,  however,  taken  in  October  1883.  For 
some  time  there  had  been  a  British  Consul,  Lieutenant  H.  E. 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  20$ 

O'Neill,  R.N.,  at  Mozambique,  but  now  the  British  Government, 
at  the  repeated  request  of  the  Committee,  appointed  one  in 
Nyasaland  and  the  Lake  districts — Captain  Foote,  R.N.,  "for 
special  service  in  connection  with  the  suppression  of  the  slave- 
trade,  and  with  the  development  of  civilisation  and  commerce  in 
Central  Africa."  Along  with  Mrs  Foote  he  arrived  at  Blantyre  at 
the  end  of  the  year;  and,  at  the  request  of  Earl  Granville,  he 
received  every  assistance  and  co-operation  from  the  Missions. 
Unfortunately,  however,  he  died  at  Blantyre  on  i6th  August, 
after  a  very  short  experience  of  the  country,  and  was  laid  in  the 
little  God's-acre  there ;  but  a  successor  was  appointed  in  the 
person  of  Captain  Hawes,  R.N.,  who  arrived  in  the  end  of 
1885. 

The  same  year  that  Consul  Foote  was  appointed  a  most 
important  step  was  also  taken.  In  November  of  that  year,  in 
connection  with  the  formation  of  the  Congo  Free  State  under  Mr 
H.  M.  Stanley,  fourteen  Powers,  including  Great  Britain,  Portugal, 
and  even  Mahommedan  Turkey,  met  at  Berlin  in  conference 
regarding  Africa,  at  the  invitation  of  the  German  Imperial 
Government.  This  Conference  had  reference  not  only  to  the 
Congo,  but  to  a  much  wider  commercial  district,  including  the 
Nyasa  Territory.  To  give  information  regarding  Nyasaland,  Dr 
Laws,  Mr  F.  Moir,  and  others  had  interviews  with  Sir  Edward 
Malet  (the  British  Ambassador),  Sir  Percy  Anderson,  and  other 
British  officials,  as  well  as  with  King  Leopold  at  Brussels,  all  of 
whom  were  untiring  in  their  efforts  to  help,  not  merely  in  the 
matter  of  the  slave-trade,  but  of  other  evils  affecting  the  Missions. 
On  26th  February  1885,  all  these  Powers,  through  their  nineteen 
plenipotentiaries,  signed  a  general  compact  of  thirty-eight  articles 
— one  of  the  greatest  compacts  in  history — which  gave  to  all 
Central  Africa,  not  only  freedom  of  commerce,  and  protection  for 
missionaries  and  travellers,  but  the  prohibition  of  this  inhuman 
traffic  in  slaves,  and  the  punishment  of  all  who  should  engage 
in  it. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  this  compact  promised  to  do  more 
for  Africa  than  any  isolated  actions  of  our  own  Government  had 
done  for  a  century  past.  It  promised  to  give  a  new  future  to 
the  Dark  Continent.  But  alas !  this  hope  speedily  vanished. 
Difficulties  of  the  gravest  kind  arose  within  a  short  time.  An 
extraordinary  rising  of  Arabs  took  place,  extending  even  to  the 


204  DAYBREAK  IN  LIV1NGSTONIA 

countries  lying  west  of  the  great  Lakes.  They  had  redoubled 
their  efforts  and  extended  their  organisation,  and  were  resolved  to 
fight  to  the  bitter  end  rather  than  allow  the  hope  of  their  gains  to 
be  taken  away.  Most  appalling  descriptions  were  given  by 
travellers  of  the  awful  scenes  that  they  were  compelled  to  witness 
at  this  time.  Lieutenant  Weissman,  on  one  of  his  journeys, 
entered  the  west  side  of  a  town  at  six  a.m.,  and  marched  for  five 
hours  till  he  reached  its  eastern  side ;  and  when  he  returned  the 
Arabs  had  cleared  it  all  away.  No  wonder  his  heart  was  boiling 
over  with  what  he  actually  saw ! 

It  was  a  most  lamentable  state  of  affairs.  Livingstone  had 
awakened  Britain  to  the  inhuman  horrors  of  the  evil.  As  a 
result,  the  power  of  the  Arabs  at  Zanzibar  had  been  checked  and 
weakened.  A  British  fleet  had  been  stationed  near  Zanzibar, 
and  the  Sultan  himself  had  gone  so  far  as  to  disown  all  his 
subjects  who  engaged  in  the  traffic.  With  one  accord,  too,  men 
had  arisen  inspired  with  Christ,  and  ready  to  carry  their  lives  in 
their  hands.  They  had  gone  forth  in  the  name  of  Heaven,  and 
unfurled  the  Gospel  banner  in  these  down-trodden  regions,  had 
planted  stations  along  the  great  waterway  of  the  Shire  and  the 
Lakes,  had  spent  an  immense  amount  of  money  in  the  mainten- 
ance of  the  work,  had  proclaimed  amid  much  persecution  the 
guilt  of  selling  any  human  being,  and  were  beginning  to  be  filled 
with  the  bright  hope  of  throttling  the  slave-trade,  and  bringing  in 
the  kingdom  of  peace  and  righteousness.  But  now,  alas ! 
fourteen  years  after  Livingstone's  death,  in  spite  of  treaties, 
compacts,  and  missionary  labours,  the  land  was  still  filled  with 
all  that  bloodshed,  rapine,  and  desolation,  which  he  gave  his  life 
to  end, 

' '  And  the  slave,  where'er  he  cowered,  felt  his  sympathies  with  God 
In  hot  teardrops  ebbing  earthward,  to  be  drunk  up  by  the  sod, 
Till  a  corpse  crawled  round  unburied,  delving  in  the  nobler  clod." 

At  length,  in  1887,  the  Arabs  and  coastmen  pounced  down  with 
renewed  force  upon  Nyasaland,  determined  to  seize  the  shores  of 
the  Lake  and  have  slaves  at  all  hazards.  They  threatened  Ngoni- 
land,  keeping  Dr  Elmslie  and  Mombera's  people  in  great  anxiety 
for  a  long  time,  and  intensifying  the  war-spirit  there.  Ultimately 
they  settled  at  the  north  end  of  the  Lake,  where  they  came  into 
dire  conflict  with  the  Livingstonia  missionaries  located  at  Mweni- 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  205 

wanda  and  at  the  neighbouring  stations.  They  also  managed  to 
influence  for  evil  the  large  and  influential  tribe  of  the  Wemba, 
whom  they  provided  with  weapons  in  exchange  for  slaves.  This 
tribe  began  to  scour  and  plunder  the  vast  plateau  between  the 
two  Lakes,  placing  all  the  inhabitants  in  bodily  terror  of  their 
lives.  No  man,  woman  or  child,  who  wandered  for  two  or  three 
minutes  outside  their  village  had  any  certainty  of  ever  returning. 
"In  May  1877,"  wrote  Dr  Kerr  Cross,  "a  village  five  miles  from 
us  was  fired  on  at  dead  of  night,  and  soon  every  creature  bolted 
for  his  life.  Many  were  killed,  and  many  captured.  It  is  the 
custom  to  shoot  every  man,  capture  and  take  prisoner  every  strong 
young  woman,  boy  and  girl,  and  to  chop  off  the  hands  and  ears 
of  the  old  and  infirm.  The  day  after  this  midnight  onslaught 
our  houses  were  besieged  by  the  poor  creatures  who  fled  to  us 
for  refuge,  while  Mweniwanda's  village  was  blocked  with  people. 
That  was  one  of  the  most  harrowing  scenes  I  have  ever  witnessed. 
In  October  of  the  same  year,  while  on  a  journey  across  the 
plateau,  I  came  across  several  villages  that  had  lately  been  ravaged. 
One  especially,  Zochi,  had  recently  been  destroyed.  It  was  early 
morning  when  I  arrived,  and  crept  with  my  carriers  through  the 
village  gate.  Every  house  seemed  entire,  but  not  a  creature  was 
within.  Innumerable  broken  pots,  and  gourds,  and  bones  were 
strewn  around.  I  wandered  over  the  village,  and  came  across  the 
spot  where  the  death-struggle  had  taken  place.  Here  the  wooden 
wall  of  the  black  man's  village  had  been  hewn  down,  and  the 
bloody  ruffians  had  rushed  in.  Oh,  God !  This  is  man's  in- 
humanity to  man  ! " 

Shortly  after  such  events  the  matter  came  to  a  crisis.  A  deadly 
war  ensued  against  the  Lakes  Company,  the  missionaries,  and 
the  friendly  natives — a  war  which  lasted  two  years.  At  the  outset 
some  of  the  missionaries  and  their  helpers  were  besieged  in 
Karonga,  while  continual  fire  was  kept  up  by  the  Arabs  upon 
them  for  about  a  week.  They  managed  to  keep  the  Arabs  off, 
and  were  at  last  rescued  by  reinforcements  arriving  from  the  south. 

But  the  whole  north  end  of  the  Lake  was  by  this  time  in  the 
hands  of  these  Mahommedan  slavers,  who  carried  on  a  fierce 
campaign  of  slaughter  and  seizure  in  all  directions.  Volumes 
could  be  filled  with  descriptions  of  Arab  cruelty  enacted  there  at 
this  time.  One  or  two  instances  may  be  taken  out  of  a  great 
multitude. 


206  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

At  daybreak,  one  day,  Mr  Bain  was  roused  from  sleep  at 
Kararamuka  by  a  number  ot  shots  fired  in  rapid  succession,  and 
at  no  very  great  distance.  It  was  only  a  very  ordinary  Arab 
attack  on  an  adjoining  village,  yet  upwards  of  thirty  women,  with 
their  babies  and  several  young  girls,  were  captured.  The  slavers, 
having  securely  entrenched  themselves  within  the  village  stockade, 
settled  down  to  enjoy  themselves  in  their  own  brutal  way,  seizing 
the  spoil,  and  giving  vent  to  their  beastly  lust.  Two  children 
who  disturbed  their  revels  were  flung  into  the  flames  of  some 
burning  houses.  Only  two  poor  women  who  escaped  by  night 
would  ever  know  the  comforts  of  home  again.  The  people  at 
Kararamuka,  we  are  glad  to  say,  were  not  attacked,  because  of 
Mr  Bain's  presence.  "They  regard  their  deliverance,"  wrote 
Mr  Bain,  "as  due  to  the  white  man.  You  may  tell  them  that 
God  is  over  all  and  overrules  all ;  they  will  turn  round  and  tell 
you  that  you  are  God.  Poor  people  !  their  ignorance  and  helpless- 
ness are  terrible  to  contemplate." 

Again,  one  day  a  large  band  of  these  brutal  Arabs  attacked  a 
village  on  the  Lake  shore,  killing  eight  men,  and  capturing  all 
the  women,  boys  and  girls.  Two  of  the  men  rushed  into  the 
Lake  and  were  drowned.  "That  night,  at  midnight,"  says 
Dr  Kerr  Cross,  "  we  learned  of  this  atrocity,  and  sent  out  a  band 
of  men  to  intercept  them.  Next  afternoon  our  men  came  on 
their  path  and  followed  it  up.  When  the  Arabs  saw  them  they 
bolted.  One  man,  cutting  the  rope,  which  bound  all  the  women, 
from  the  neck  of  a  young  girl,  and  throwing  her  over  his  shoulder, 
made  off.  The  chase  was  too  keen,  however,  and  he  was  forced 
to  throw  her  down  and  bolt.  Twenty-nine  women  were  thus 
rescued.  All  of  them  were  tied  and  were  bearing  loads.  On 
being  released,  the  women  told  our  men  that  on  the  early  part 
of  the  day  the  Arabs  had  thrown  three  of  their  sucking  children 
into  the  bush,  because  the  women  could  not  carry  the  grain  and 
the  infants  too.  Being  guided  by  the  mothers,  the  men  went  to 
the  spot,  and  found  the  three  infants  still  alive.  Old  Mdoko  was 
a  happy  man  when  next  day  his  women  were  led  back  to  the 
village." 

Over  and  over  again  the  missionaries  heard  of  villages  being 
attacked,  and  so  many  men  being  killed  and  so  many  women 
captured.  This  was  continually  going  on,  not  only  at  the 
head  of  the  Lake,  but  all  along  the  Nyasa-Tanganyika  Plateau. 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  207 

"Six  years  ago,"  wrote  one  of  our  missionaries,  "when  the 
road  to  Tanganyika  was  opened,  there  was  a  village  every  six 
or  eight  miles  all  along  the  way.  Now  you  can  travel  for  three 
or  four  days  at  a  time  and  scarcely  see  a  village  or  meet  a 
creature.  These  villages  are  all  destroyed,  and  the  people 
captured  as  slaves  by  the  Arabs.  It  makes  one's  blood  boil  at 
the  awful  deeds  of  these  red-handed  ruffians,  who  are  engaged  in 
a  work  which  Livingstone  long  ago  could  only  compare  to  hell 
itself." 

Bitter,  indeed,  it  must  have  been  for  the  missionaries  to  witness 
these  heartrending  scenes.  The  cruelty,  lust,  and  murders  were 
ever  before  them  by  day,  and  startled  them  like  a  hideous  night- 
mare when  they  closed  their  eyes  for  sleep.  To  hear  the  wail 
of  grief  from  these  unhappy  people,  to  see  them  cast  themselves 
on  their  knees,  and  to  know  that  nothing  could  be  done  to  save 
them,  was  saddening  in  the  extreme.  It  was  Ethiopia  on  her 
knees  stretching  out  her  hands  to  Great  Britain. 

It  was  not  merely  the  north  end  of  the  Lake,  or  the  plateau, 
that  the  Arabs  invaded.  Many  of  them  settled  down  in  the 
southern  regions.  They  infested  every  town  along  the  Lake. 
They  actually  fixed  a  station  near  the  Bandawe*  Mission,  and 
were  making  themselves  known  as  far  south  as  Blantyre.  It  was 
nothing  but  slavery,  slavery  everywhere.  Here  is  what  Rev. 
Mr  Scott,  the  head  of  the  Blantyre  Mission  wrote  at  the  time : 
"  The  Arab  slave  trade  is  making  frightful  progress.  Caravans  of 
Arabs  are  pouring  in — for  trade  ?  No  !  Hardly  a  bale  of  cloth 
goes  up  country  from  the  east  coast ;  it  is  guns  and  powder — not 
even  spirits.  It  is  simply  slaughter,  and  slaughter  of  thousands, 
and  the  desolation  of  the  fairest  lands — lands  where  the  natives 
were  at  peace,  where  industry  and  thrift  and  happiness  ruled ; 
where,  to  get  through  one  village,  you  might  start  in  the  early 
morning  and  not  pass  out  of  it  till  the  sun  was  half-way  down, 
journeying  straight  on ;  and  these  are  now  desolate.  Fresh  routes 
are  opening  up  to  them,  and  the  desolation  is  spreading.  It  is 
not  slave-trade;  it  is  ruthless  massacre  of  the  most  barbarous 
type." 

Various  remedies  were  suggested  by  British  statesmen  for  this 
lamentable  state  of  matters.  It  was  urged  by  some  that  Britain 
or  Germany  or  France  should  take  a  firm  and  uncompromising 
stand  at  Zanzibar,  and  by  others  that  a  system  of  military  and 


208  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I A 

patrol  operations  should  be  undertaken  along  the  great  waterway 
of  the  Shire  and  Lake  Nyasa,  with  depots  of  armed  men  on  the  higher 
plateaux.  Britain,  however,  found  it  absolutely  necessary  to  do  some- 
thing, and  in  the  end  of  1889  instructed  Sir  Henry  H.  Johnston, 
K.C.B.,  at  that  time  Consul  for  Portuguese  East  Africa,  and 
afterwards  Commissioner  and  Consul-General  for  British  Central 
Africa,*  to  proceed  to  the  interior  in  order  to  bring  about,  if 
possible,  a  state  of  peace  between  the  Arabs  and  the  white  men, 
and  the  cessation  of  slavery.  But  in  the  face  of  such  things  as 
we  have  described,  what  could  the  Consul  do?  He  showed 
himself  a  courageous  man,  anxious  to  suppress  the  evil  and  carry 
out  the  wishes  of  the  missionaries.  But  his  task  was  an  im- 
possibility without  an  armed  force  to  help.  He  could  not  check 
matters  by  moral  suasion.  He  could  not  turn  these  brutal  slavers 
and  Swahili  coastmen  into  sober,  well-doing  individuals  by  merely 
talking  to  them.  It  required  a  strong  force  of  another  kind  to 
deal  with  these  red-handed  Arabs,  who  were  placing  Africa  beneath 
the  yoke,  and  murdering  all  who  would  not  become  tools  of  their 
lust  and  greed.  He  was  able,  after  a  week's  negotiations,  and 
with  the  influence  of  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar,  to  bring  to  an  end 
the  war,  which  had  reigned  at  the  north  end  for  two  years ;  but 
the  slave-raiding,  the  cruelty,  and  the  devastation  continued  as 
before. 

Fortunately,  in  the  beginning  of  1890,  Nyasaland  was  made 
into  British  territory,  with  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  as  Commissioner. 
What  the  Livingstonia  missionaries  had  been  doing  by  moral 
suasion  and  Christian  influence  the  British  Commissioner  now 
commenced  to  do  by  administrative  means,  using  his  powers  in  a 
cautious  way  for  the  destruction  of  the  horrible  traffic.  To  the 
downtrodden  sons  and  daughters  of  Africa  around  Nyasa,  the 
British  flag  meant  life,  joy  and  freedom ;  while  to  every  slave- 
hunter  it  was  a  "  meteor  flag,  which  for  a  thousaud  years  had 
braved  the  battle  and  the  breeze,"  associated  with  trained  soldiers, 
mighty  war  vessels  and  the  roar  of  guns,  and  inspiring  him  with 
wholesome  dread. 

The  slave-raiders,  while  somewhat  terrified  at  the  inclusion  of 

Nyasaland   within  the  British    sphere,  could  not  be  expected  to 

abandon    their  efforts  at  once.     They  were  not   to  be  so  easily 

subdued,  for  slaves  still  continued    to  be  seized  in  hundreds  in 

*  Now  British  Commissioner  in  Uganda. 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  209 

spite  of  all  the  Commissioner  could  do.  Slave  caravans  were  as 
numerous  as  ever.  From  Deep  Bay,  south  of  Karonga,  large 
cargoes  of  guns  and  powder  passed  into  the  interior,  and  large 
batches  of  starving  slaves  were  ferried  across  to  the  east  side. 
The  savage  Wemba  and  the  Gwangwara,  who  assisted  the  Arabs, 
were  becoming  more  and  more  threatening  in  their  attitude,  and 
were  sending  menacing  messages  to  the  missionaries  and  natives. 
The  feeling  of  antipathy  between  the  slave-dealers  and  the 
Europeans  was  gradually  approaching  a  white  heat.  It  was 
beginning  to  be  seen  that  if  no  definite  action  were  taken  soon 
to  suppress  the  evil,  every  European  in  North  Nyasa  would  be 
exterminated. 

Whether  all  this  continued  savagery  was  partly  due  to  the 
pro-Arab  policy  which  the  Commissioner  at  first  adopted,  it 
would  be  difficult  to  say,  but,  at  all  events,  matters  could  not 
long  remain  in  this  critical  condition.  Nor  did  they.  The  over- 
throw of  the  traffic  speedily  came.  It  was  immensely  helped  by 
the  action  of  a  large  important  Anti-Slavery  Conference  which 
had  been  held  at  Brussels  in  1889-90,  at  the  suggestion  of  Her 
Majesty,  and  under  the  presidency  of  Baron  Lambermont  of 
Belgium.  This  was  really  a  world  conference,  at  which  seventeen 
Powers,  both  European  and  Asiatic,  were  represented.  No  meet- 
ing so  important  to  mankind  had  ever  been  held  before.  It  came 
together  explicitly  to  suppress  this  African  slave-trade,  to  prevent 
arms  of  precision  entering  the  country  except  for  self-defence,  and 
to  choke  the  liquor  traffic  among  the  native  races.  For  the  first 
time  in  human  history  Mahommedan  Governments  took  serious 
counsel  with  Christian  Powers  as  to  the  wrongs  wreaked  on 
Africa.  The  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  which  knew  so  much  of 
the  evils  of  Africa,  represented  her  views  to  this  conference 
by  means  of  memorials.  Dr  George  Smith,  the  Secretary 
of  her  Foreign  Mission  Committee,  also  waited  on  Lord 
Vivian,  the  British  representative  at  the  conference,  and  urged 
on  him,  among  other  things,  firm  action  against  trade  in 
slaves. 

The  result  of  this  conference  was  that  the  Powers  who  took 
part  in  it  unanimously  agreed  to  prevent  by  force  the  trade  in 
slaves,  arms,  and  distilled  liquors  in  Africa,  a  decision  which 
speedily  brought  a  new  day  to  this  dark  land.  It  was  a  supreme 
triumph  over  evil,  and  when  it  became  known, 
o 


210  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

"Through  the  broad  earth's  aching  breast 
Ran  a  thrill  of  joy  prophetic,  trembling  on  from  enst  to  west  : 
And  the  slave,  where'er  he  cowered,  felt  the  soul  within  him  climb 
To  the  awful  verge  of  manhood,  as  the  energy  sublime 
Of  a  century  burst  full-blossom'd  on  the  thorny  stem  of  Time." 

This  act  came  into  operation  in  January  1892,  and  not  long 
afterwards  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  enforced  it  in  Nyasaland,  with  the 
co-operation  of  the  German  authorities  at  the  north  end  of  the 
Lake.  He  issued  a  Proclamation,  by  authority  of  the  British 
Government,  forbidding  slave-raiding  and  other  evils,  and  resolved 
to  sweep  the  country  clean  of  Arab  offenders  and  any  chiefs  who 
abetted  them.  The  Tonga  tribe,  which  had  been  taught  by 
Livingstonia  missionaries  around  Bandawe,  offered  their  friendly 
help,  and  were  formed  into  a  native  army.  A  military  force  of 
Sikhs  and  Punjabees,  under  experienced  British  officers,  was  also 
drafted  into  the  country.  Gunboats  were  placed  on  the  Lakes 
and  on  the  Shire"  river.  The  African  Lakes  Company  and  the 
British  South  Africa  Company  united  to  help.  Thus  was 
witnessed  at  length  the  ethics  of  the  Gospel  marching  behind 
bayonets,  and  the  thunders  of  Sinai  making  themselves  heard 
beneath  the  roar  of  British  guns.  It  was  the  irresistible  force  of 
Christianity,  which  could  not  be  silenced  or  subdued,  overruling 
European  nations,  rising  above  politics,  governing  battle,  and 
exerting  itself  in  the  destruction  of  an  inhuman  traffic. 

The  campaign  was  not  immediately  successful,  as  it  was  by  no 
means  an  easy  matter  to  subdue  Arab  organisation.  For  a  long 
time  severe  fighting  took  place  ;  there  were  sharp  and  sometimes 
bloody  encounters.  But  into  the  many  details  of  this  the  writer 
need  not  enter,  as  this  sketch  is  meant  to  deal  rather  with  the 
relation  of  the  traffic  to  the  missionaries.  He  would  only  say  that 
the  last  day  of  1895  virtually  brought  with  it  the  end  of  this 
great  open  sore  within  the  British  Central  Africa  Protectorate  at 
Lake  Nyasa,  although  it  still  continued  in  the  regions  beyond. 
Thousands  of  slaves  were  liberated  by  British  officers,  and  they 
were  told  that  they  were  free  to  go  and  do  what  they  pleased,  as 
long  as  they  did  not  break  the  law.  Mlozi,  the  most  murderous 
slave-dealer  of  all,  was  hanged  after  a  fair  trial,  and  the  country 
was  cleared  of  other  scoundrels.  A  chain  of  forts  was  also  erected 
along  the  border  of  the  Protectorate,  all  the  way  from  the  Ruo 
River  up  the  shores  of  the  Lake  and  along  the  Stevenson  Road, 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE  211 

as  places  of  refuge  round  which  natives  might  settle,  and  as  a 
warning  to  Arabs  and  others  like-minded. 

The  country  now  enjoyed  rest  for  the  first  time  in  its  history. 
The  people,  who  for  years  had  been  hunted  like  wild  beasts  by 
these  out-side  oppressors,  could  now  live  without  fear.  In  Turkey, 
at  this  time,  Mahommedanism,  in  its  most  dreadful  form,  had 
gained  a  temporary  triumph  through  the  butchery,  outrage,  and 
robbery  organised  by  the  Sultan  upon  defenceless  Christians ;  but 
here  in  Central  Africa  it  was  almost  wiped  out  in  the  defeat  of 
these  Arab  slavers  at  the  hands  of  the  Commissioner.  It  was 
swept  away  with  all  its  slavery  and  butchery  by  the  justice  of 
Heaven,  as  boulders  and  trees  are  swept  down  by  the  breaking 
of  an  ice-dam,  and  the  terrible  rush  of  its  liberated  waters.  A 
sense  of  peace  and  security  has  now  settled  on  the  natives,  which 
has  never  before  been  known.  They  feel  that  they  have  now 
nothing  further  to  dread  from  their  foreign  oppressors  or  from  the 
more  turbulent  among  themselves.  In  this  great  achievement 
God  has  given  mankind  another  answer  to  the  prayer  of  David 
Livingstone  as  he  knelt  by  his  lonely  deathbed  at  Lake 
Bangweolo. 

Whatever  thanks  we  may  have  must  be  given  to  the  British 
Administration  and  our  Christian  missionaries — to  the  former  for 
their  brave  and  persevering  actions,  and  to  the  latter  for  calling 
such  actions  into  existence.  This  much  is  certain,  that,  if  Christi- 
anity had  not  entered  Nyasaland,  there  would  have  been  no  British 
Administration  there  to-day,  and  no  sure  refuge  from  the  yoke  of 
slavery.  Central  Africa  would  still  be  a  land  of  darkness,  of 
spoliation,  and  of  blood.  No  doubt  commerce,  civilisation,  in- 
dustry, and  various  other  side-forces  have'  had  a  share  in  the 
triumph,  and  the  writer  would  be  the  last  to  deny  this.  But  it  is 
plain  that  Christianity,  with  its  superhuman  energy  and  beneficence, 
gave  primary  impulse  to  all  the  movements  referred  to,  and 
sustained  and  advanced  them  until  they  culminated  in  the 
annihilation  of  the  traffic.  If  we  look  without  prejudice  for  the 
source  or  effective  promoter  of  anti-slavery  in  British  Central 
Africa,  it  will  be  found  in  the  little  trickling  stream  which  entered 
the  country  in  1875,  and  passed  all  banks,  until  now  it  has  spread 
its  waves,  like  the  inrush  of  a  flood,  over  widest  expanses.  It  is 
Christianity,  as  first  borne  thither  by  Livingstonia  missionaries, 
that  is  the  triumphant  victor. 


±12  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Let  us  remember,  however,  that  even  yet  something  remains  to 
be  done  in  other  parts  of  Africa  and  of  the  world.  Slavery  still 
reigns  supreme  in  regions  beyond  Nyasaland,  especially  among 
the  Wemba  and  similar  tribes.  The  whole  system  has  been  so 
deeply  rooted  that  years  of  vigilance  will  be  required  before 
freedom  becomes  the  happy  lot  of  every  African.  But  the  day- 
light is  already  appearing,  and  soon  we  may  expect  the  fulfilment 
of  these  words  of  a  poetic  writer  : 

"  Oh,  Africa,  long  lost  in  night, 
Upon  the  horizon  gleams  the  light 
Of  breaking  dawn.     Thy  star  of  fame 
Shall  rise  and  brightly  gleam  ;  thy  name 
Shall  blaze  in  history's  later  page  ; 
Thy  birth-time  is  the  last  great  age. 
Thy  name  has  been,  Slave  of  the  World, 
But  when  thy  banner  is  unfurled, 
Triumphant  liberty  shall  wave 
That  standard  o'er  foul  slavery's  grave  ; 
And  earth,  decaying  earth,  shall  see 
Her  freest,  fairest  child  in  thee." 


TURBINE  FALLS  ON  THE  MANCHEWE. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE 

FROM  the  outset  the  missionaries  encouraged  the  natives  to  trade 
knowing  that  legitimate  Christian  commerce  would  not  only 
prevent  many  destructive  tribal  feuds,  but,  as  Dr  Livingstone 
often  said,  would  considerably  help  in  the  improvement  of  the 
natives  and  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade.  "  We  ought  to 
encourage  the  Africans,"  wrote  this  renowned  missionary  in  1856, 
"  to  cultivate  for  our  markets  as  the  most  effectual  means,  next  to 
the  Gospel,  of  their  elevation." 

Such  commerce  would  let  the  chiefs  see  that  they  could  supply 
themselves  with  goods  in  a  better  way  than  by  the  sale  of  their 
people — that  it  was  useless  for  them  to  steal  and  sell  a  man,  when 
they  could  get  quite  as  much  for  a  canoe  load  of  potatoes.  It 
was  sometimes  no  use  to  exhort  these  people  to  give  up  war  and 
slavery,  when  it  was  calico  and  other  things  that  they  really 
wanted.  The  Arabs  had  become  dominant  on  Lake  Nyasa,  and 
slavery  had  become  established  largely  by  means  of  calico,  looking- 
glasses,  beads,  hatchets,  and  similar  things ;  and  one  practical  way 
of  undermining  Arab  influence,  and  establishing  a  Christian 
civilisation,  was  to  commence  a  proper  system  of  trading,  by 
which  the  people  could  obtain  what  they  wanted. 

Not  only  so,  but  the  missionaries  felt  that  such  a  thing  would 
be  the  truest  philanthropy,  for  the  natives  were  really  in  need  of 
calico  and  other  material  things,  and  were  miserable  for  want  of 
them.  It  was  useless  to  carry  on  a  mission  in  such  regions 
without  supplying  the  natives  with  the  necessaries  of  everyday  life. 
It  is  well  known  how  the  excellent  Bishop  Patteson  acted  on  this 
beneficent  principle  among  the  South  Sea  Islanders,  and  thereby 
won  the  hearts  of  many  savages  to  Christianity.  "If  a  man  is 
naked,"  as  Dr  Stewart  wrote,  "the  best  thing  you  can  do  to 
convince  him  that  you  are  his  friend  is  to  clothe  him — to  give 
him  calico  and  not  words.  If  he  wants  to  cultivate,  to  induce 


2i4  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

him  to  buy  tools.  If  he  wants  to  build  a  house,  and  has  nothing 
better  than  a  wretched  little  axe  to  fight  against  the  forest  ever 
encroaching  on  him,  despite  of  both  fire  and  axe,  the  best  thing 
to  do  is  to  give  him,  in  return  for  his  labour  or  for  anything  he 
has  already  produced,  a  suitable  weapon  that  will  give  him  heart, 
and  result  in  the  success  of  his  struggle." 

The  mission  band  realised  this,  and,  as  soon  as  they .  were 
settled  down  at  Cape  Maclear,  they  invited  the  natives  to  bring 
articles  and  provisions  for  sale.  They  found  that  the  natives  were 
anxious  to  trade  with  them,  and  that,  wherever  they  could  get  a 
market  for  goods,  they  took  advantage  of  it.  Almost  every  day 
natives  came  from  very  long  distances  with  " malonda"  or  "things 
for  sale."  They  were  encouraged  to  bring  every  useful  thing,  and 
a  point  was  made  of  purchasing  all  that  they  brought — goats, 
fowls,  cotton,  mapira,  ufa,  rice,  ground  nuts,  fish,  ivory,  pots, 
twine,  fishing-nets,  hoes  made  from  iron  smelted  by  native  smiths, 
mats  woven  from  split  bamboos,  empty  snail  shells  to  make  lime 
for  white-washing,  and  many  other  things.  This  was  certainly  a 
beginning  in  the  way  of  a  wholesome  trade;  and  we  are  not 
surprised  to  find  Dr  Laws  writing  as  follows  about  two  years  after 
the  establishment  of  the  mission :  "  The  natives  at  Cape  Maclear 
having  found  a  market  for  their  produce,  have  increased  their 
cultivation  to  a  great  extent,  in  order  to  supply  our  demand. 
Now,  even  in  event  of  a  partial  failure,  famine  will  be  avoided  by 
the  produce  of  the  increased  area  cultivated.  That  you  may 
have  some  idea  of  the  extent  of  this,  I  may  mention  that  during 
the  first  year  we  had  often  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  few  small 
baskets  of  grain,  or  native  flour,  in  a  week ;  while  one  day 
recently,  more  than  a  ton  of  grain  and  three-quarters  of  a  ton  of 
sweet  potatoes  were  brought  for  sale.  We  have  bought  up  a 
good  deal,  so  that  we  may  not  be  at  the  mercy  of  sellers  when 
food  becomes  scarce  just  before  the  crops  are  ready.  A  good 
deal  of  sugar  cane  has  been  bought  recently.  Formerly  they  did 
not  grow  much  of  it ;  but  learning  that  we  would  buy  it,  they 
have  planted  a  good  deal.  This,  I  think,  may  be  taken  as  a  fair 
guarantee  that  the  natives  are  ready  to  exert  themselves  beyond 
what  they  have  been  accustomed  to  do,  were  lawful  commerce 
introduced  among  them." 

In  this  part  of  their  work  the  missionaries  laboured  for  some 
time  to  the  best  of  their  ability  and  with  much  success.  But  as 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  215 

spiritual  labourers,  they  began  to  feel  that  it  was  rather  outside 
their  province.  They  did  not  care  to  do  anything  that  would 
defile  their  hands  with  filthy  lucre,  or  lead  to  a  suspicion  that  they 
had  any  desire  after  such  a  thing.  When  Dr  Stewart  went  to  the 
Lake  in  1876,  he  saw  plainly  the  necessity  of  freeing  the  Mission 
altogether  from  this  kind  of  work,  and  wrote  home  several  times 
to  the  Committee  about  the  matter,  recommending  that  a  number 
of  men  in  Glasgow,  or  elsewhere,  should  form  a  small  company 
and  send  out  Christian  traders  to  look  after  goods  and  stores,  and 
undertake  all  commercial  dealings  with  the  natives.  Mr  Cotterill, 
who  accompanied  the  second  Mission  party,  in  the  hope  of  trading, 
had  been  unable  to  do  much  single-handed,  although  he  did  pioneer 
work  in  this  direction.  What  was  needed,  as  Dr  Stewart  suggested, 
was  a  Company,  with  sufficient  capital,  with  business  connections 
in  Scotland,  and  with  responsible  agents  at  the  Lake.  It  was 
also  felt  by  friends  at  home  that  such  a  step  was  necessary,  even 
for  the  safety  of  the  Mission,  which  might  otherwise  have  to  be 
abandoned  owing  to  difficulty  of  access. 

In  the  meantime  the  matter  had  been  taken  up  by  Mr  James 
Stevenson,  F.R.G.S.,  of  Glasgow,  and  some  of  the  lay  members  of 
the  Livingstonia  Committee,  as  early  as  1876.  Apart  altogether 
from  co-operation  with  the  Mission,  which  they  anxiously  desired, 
they  saw  that  a  Company  would  be  a  good  thing  to  carry  on 
Livingstone's  policy  of  keeping  open .  the  water  highways.  They 
made  a  move  in  the  matter  at  a  meeting  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  in  November  of  that  year,  and  afterwards,  through 
Viscount  Duprat,  sent  political  and  geographical  papers,  written 
in  a  conciliatory  spirit,  to  Lisbon,  and  were  thus  fortunate  in 
obtaining  concessions  from  the  Portuguese  Government,  who  were 
anxious  to  bring  to  their  province  the  trade  of  Central  Africa. 
These  concessions,  though  informal,  made  commercial  work  possible 
in  the  Zambesi  and  Nyasa  regions. 

This  led  to  the  formation,  in  1877-78,  of  the  "Livingstonia 
Central  African  Trading  Company " — better  known  now  as  the 
"  African  Lakes  Corporation  " — which  included  members  both  of 
the  Livingstonia  Committee  and  of  a  Committee  previously  ap- 
pointed by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  This  Trading  Company 
was  put  under  the  excellent  chairmanship  of  Mr  James  Stevenson, 
the  prime  mover  in  the  whole  affair,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most 
generous  founders  of  the  Mission,  and  the  first  Convener  of  the 


216  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Livingstonia  Sub-Committee.  The  management  in  Africa  was 
undertaken  by  two  brothers,  John  William  Moir  and  Frederick  L. 
Maitland  Moir,  sons  of  Dr  Moir  of  Edinburgh — men  who  would 
do  honour  to  any  enterprise  in  the  world.  "They  were  well- 
educated  gentlemen,"  says  Professor  Lindsay,  "come  of  'kent 
folk,'  as  we  say  in  Scotland,  and  had  already  begun  life  in  a  way 
which  promised  successful  business  careers.  If  ever  two  men  had 
it  in  their  power  to  live  at  home  in  ease,  these  men  were  John 
and  Fred  Moir ;  but  there  lay  Africa  open  at  last,  with  its  great 
central  waterway,  and  there  was  the  dead  Livingstone,  and  One 
greater  than  Livingstone  calling  them,  and  they  felt,  as  many  a 
noble  soul  has  felt  before  their  day,  that  '  necessity  was  laid  upon 
them,'  and  they  left  all  and  went."  *  They  had  been  previously 
in  the  employ  of  Sir  William  Mackinnon,  surveying  a  road  which 
that  philanthropist  intended  to  construct  from  Dar-es-Salaam, 
opposite  Zanzibar,  to  Lake  Tanganyika. 

As  stated,  this  Company  was  formed  largely  with  the  object  of 
assisting  the  Missions  and  other  Christian  agencies  in  East 
Central  Africa.  Its  promoters  were  wealthy  Christian  merchants 
and  others  in  Glasgow  and  Edinburgh,  belonging  principally  to 
the  Free  Church,  who  were  in  thorough  practical  sympathy  with 
the  Mission,  and  who  were  anxious,  in  co-operation  with  it,  to 
preserve  Nyasaland  pure  from  unprincipled  trading.  These 
merchants  knew  how  commerce,  carried  on  without  any  thought 
of  God  and  righteousness,  led  to  deep  vice  and  dire  evils.  They 
had  seen  lamentable  results  in  some  parts  of  Africa,  where  greed 
and  fraud  were  holding  sway,  and  a  spirit  of  commerce,  unaccom- 
panied and  unruled  by  Christianity,  was  crushing  and  demoralising 
the  natives — where  trade  in  gin  and  gunpowder  was  causing  fright- 
ful evils,  besides  which  any  good  achieved  was  hardly  discernible. 
Some  of  the  West  African  settlements,  especially,  instead  of  being 
bright  jewels  in  Britain's  crown,  were  standing  monuments  of  dis- 
grace, preventing  everything  that  tended  to  the  elevation  of  the 
unhappy  tribes.  What  was  a  missionary  here  and  there,  compared 
with  the  thousand  agents  of  unsanctified  commerce,  who,  with 
untiring  and  scrupulous  industry,  were  dispensing  wholesale  the 
deadly  products  of  Europe  ?  What  was  a  Bible  or  a  bale  of  useful 
goods  in  opposition  to  myriad  cases  of  gin  and  an  unlimited  supply 

*  In  Introduction  to  Mrs  Moir's  "Letters  from  Central  Africa"  (Maclehose 
&  Sons,  Glasgow). 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  217 

of  guns  ?  What  chance  had  Christian  virtue  where  the  soil  was 
so  overgrown  with  European  vice  ? 

Here,  however,  was  Nyasaland — a  great  stretch  of  country  where 
none  but  a  few  white  missionaries  had  been,  and  no  commercial 
Company  existed ;  and  so,  these  men  resolved  to  keep  this  region 
pure  by  sending  picked  men  into  it  as  missionary  traders,  and 
giving  it  a  Christian  commerce,  something,  at  least,  that  would 
help  to  keep  out  war  and  gunpowder  and  strong  drink,  and  intro- 
duce true  civilisation  into  the  country — a  noble  resolution  for 
which  there  was  indeed  a  loud  call. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  such  a  Company,  carrying  on  work 
from  the  East  Coast  of  Africa  to  these  inland  regions,  was  an  un- 
doubted blessing,  and  that  its  formation  deserved  the  thanks  of 
Christendom.  The  benefits  that  it  brought  to  this  part  of  the 
Dark  Continent  turned  out  to  be  innumerable. 

First  and  foremost,  as  the  missionaries  had  predicted,  it  checked 
to  some  extent  the  debasing  traffic  in  slaves,  preventing  it  from  de- 
veloping in  Nyasaland  at  a  more  rapid  rate  than  it  did.  For 
hundreds  of  years  the  chief  wealth  of  Africa  had  consisted  in  its 
ivory,  and  the  only  means  of  transport  for  ivory  was  the  enslaving 
of  natives  to  carry  it  down  to  the  coast.  From  the  Arab  encamp- 
ments, established  all  over  the  heart  of  Africa,  caravans  of  slaves, 
laden  with  ivory,  passed  at  intervals  to  Zanzibar  and  other  places 
on  the  coast,  leaving  in  their  trail  the  darkened  marks  of  tyranny 
and  crime.  This  Company,  however,  bought  up  large  quantities 
of  ivory  and  other  produce,  which  would  otherwise  go  to  the  coast 
by  slave  caravans — bought  it  up  on  better  terms  than  the  Arabs 
could  give — and  thus,  so  far  as  it  could,  dried  up  the  source  of 
supply  in  the  interior. 

It  also  opened  up  communication  with  the  coast,  by  means 
of  steamers  of  its  own,  plying  from  the  mouth  of  the  Zambesi  to 
the  north  of  the  Lake.  This,  of  itself,  was  an  immense  advantage 
to  the  missionaries.  The  communication  previously  had  been  very 
slow  and  primitive,  the  voyage  having  to  be  made  in  a  canoe,  with 
a  few  native  paddlers,  and  taking  several  weeks  to  reach  the 
Murchison  Falls.  Though  the  boatmen  wrought  with  their 
utmost  strength,  only  slow  progress  could  be  made  against  the 
rapid  current. 

But  now,  through  this  trading  Company,  the  journey  to  or  from 
the  coast  could  be  made  in  a  remarkably  short  time,  and  the 


218  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

dangers  from  malaria  and  wild  animals  greatly  avoided.  Such 
improved  communication  with  the  outside  world  relieved  the 
Mission  of  many  secular  cares  and  worries,  and  greatly  lessened 
the  difficulty  of  procuring  supplies  from  a  distance.  It  was  also 
an  excellent  medicine  to  the  Mission  staff.  More  frequent  news 
from  the  coast,  the  sight  of  a  mail-bag  coming  oftener,  and  a 
readier  supply  of  necessaries  from  home  tended,  it  need  scarcely 
be  said,  to  raise  the  spirits  of  the  party  and  improve  their 
health. 

Further,  this  Company  proved  a  considerable  benefit  to  the 
natives  themselves,  by  revealing  to  them  the  blessings  of  trade,  and 
showing  them  how  they  could  live  honestly  and  perhaps  enrich 
themselves  in  an  honourable  way.  Africans,  it  is  well  known,  are 
quite  capable  of  becoming  prosperous  traders.  In  ancient  times 
there  was  an  excellent  system  of  commerce  carried  on  by  the 
natives  on  the  East  Coast  and  adjacent  parts.  Early  historical 
accounts  speak  of  very  prosperous  and  commercially  disposed 
communities.  Unfortunately,  this  condition  of  things  entirely 
passed  away  before  English  navigators  and  the  Arabs  of  Muscat 
appeared  on  the  scene ;  but  it  is  an  evidence  of  the  capabilities  of 
the  African  race  for  successful  trading.  This  Company  developed 
these  capabilities.  It  taught  the  natives  of  Nyasaland,  as  nothing 
else  could  do,  how  to  trade  with  their  fellows,  and  showed  them 
the  .resulting  benefits.  It  opened  up  trading  stations  on  the 
water  highway  to  the  Lake,  purchased  the  various  products 
of  the  country,  and  introduced  many  additional  sources  of 
wealth. 

It  need  hardly  be  added  that  this  Company  greatly  advanced 
the  interests  of  Christianity  in  Nyasaland.  Facts  go  to  prove  that 
commercial  intercourse  of  a  right  kind  becomes  a  handmaid  to  the 
Gospel.  In  God's  overruling  Providence,  it  prepares  the  way  for 
the  spread  of  Christianity,  and  helps  in  the  extension  of  Christ's 
Kingdom.  No  doubt,  a  commercial  company,  though  anxious 
to  assist  in  such  noble  work,  may  have  its  disadvantages.  The 
natives,  with  their  crude  ideas,  cannot  always  distinguish  between 
it  and  Missions.  Mistakes  made  by  the  former — perhaps  uninten- 
tionally— may  be  sometimes  attributed  to  the  latter,  tending  at 
times  to  injure  missionary  work.  Trading  complications,  dealings 
with  hunters  and  carriers,  the  punishment  of  theft,  the  quarrels  and 
ill-will  of  ivory  shooting,  and  similar  things  may  be  apt  to  compromise 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  219 

missionary  operations  in  the  eyes  of  the  natives.  A  commercial 
company,  too,  may  not  always  manage  to  secure  the  best  of  men  to 
do  its  work  among  the  natives.  In  spite  of  much  precaution,  some 
of  its  agents  and  traders  may  be  bad  characters,  having  rather 
a  pernicious  influence  upon  the  natives,  and  bringing  discredit 
upon  neighbouring  missionaries.  But  admitting  all  such  possible 
disadvantages,  if  we  take  into  account  the  immense  accompanying 
benefits,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  Christian  company,  allied 
to  conscience  and  charity,  and  carrying  on  its  dealings  in  a  truly 
honourable  way,  is  instrumental  in  accelerating  the  march  of 
Christianity.  This  was  certainly  the  case  with  the  African  Lakes 
Company.  In  spite  of  defects — and  there  were  such,  as  in  all 
human  institutions — it  was  a  powerful  agent  in  the  spread  of 
Christianity.  It  was  not  the  divinest  force  working  in  Africa,  but 
of  all  human  forces,  it  was  one  of  the  most  divine.  It  helped  to 
break  the  power  of  Arab  tyrants,  and  in  other  ways  to  advance  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven. 

The  Company  made  its  headquarters  at  Mandala,  in  the  Shire* 
Hills,  near  Blantyre.  "Mandala"  means  "spectacles,"  and  was 
the  nickname  given  by  the  natives  to  Mr  John  Moir  because  of  his 
spectacles.  When  he  built  a  house  the  name  was  transferred  to  the 
building,  and  so  to  the  little  settlement  which  grew  up  around  it. 
The  place  is  now  practically  one  with  Blantyre,  being  united  by  a 
well-made  road,  running  between  a  magnificent  avenue  of  tall  trees, 
and  according  to  the  testimony  of  both  merchants  and  missionaries, 
is  a  pleasant  Scotch  Arcadia,  set  in  the  midst  of  harsh  African 
savagery.  From  this  place  the  Company's  hospitable  managers,  the 
Messrs  Moir,  directed  all  its  movements,  and  gradually  extended  its 
operations.  It  began  in  a  very  cautious  way^  with  small  capital — 
most  of  which  was  personally  raised  by  the  Messrs  Moir — but  it 
progressed  steadily  from  year  to  year,  multiplying  its  trading 
centres  and  increasing  its  resources.  It  did  so  at  the  earnest 
request  of  all  the  missionary  societies  working  in  these  inland 
regions,  and  of  the  British  Consuls  and  others,  who  were  desirous 
of  seeing  the  country  opened  up,  thus  fulfilling,  in  some  measure 
the  words  of  the  prophet,  "  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  people; 
cast  up,  cast  up  the  highway;  gather  out  the  stones;  lift  up 
a  standard  for  the  people."  It  gradually  extended  westward 
to  Lakes  Tanganyika,  Mweru,  and  Bangweolo,  including  all 
the  country  rendered  sacred  by  ihe  journeys  and  the  death 


220  DAYBREAK  IN  LI7INGSTONIA 

of  Livingstone,  and  down  to  the  great  bends  of  the  Central 
Zambesi. 

In  a  few  years  it  had  several  good  steamers.  On  beginning  its 
operations  in  1878,  it  sent  out  a  little  paddle-steamer,  the  Lady 
JVyasa,  to  run  on  the  Zambesi  and  Lower  Shire  rivers  below  the 
Cataracts.  Then,  in  1 882,  it  purchased  the  Ilala  from  the  Mission, 
for  work  on  the  Upper  Shird  and  on  the  Lake,  as  the  possession  of 
this  little  steamer  by  the  Mission  was  not  so  necessary  now,  when 
the  civilisation  of  the  district  was  advancing,  as  in  the  pioneering 
period.  Besides,  the  Mission  had  a  very  good  iron  sailing  boat, 
the  Herga,  28  feet  long,  which  had  been  generously  presented  to 
it  by  Mr  Cotterill.  In  1886  the  Company  provided  a  new  steamer, 
the  fames  Stevenson,  for  the  Zambesi-Shire  traffic,  which  proved  an 
inestimable  boon  to  all  the  missions,  for  it  carried  larger  quantities  of 
supplies,  and  made  the  passage  quickly  over  the  unhealthy  reaches 
of  the  river,  thus  being  an  undoubted  gain  to  the  health  of  the 
missionaries.  Since  then  several  new  and  commodious  passenger 
steamers,  as  well  as  many  large  steel  barges,  have  been  placed  on 
the  rivers,  both  for  the  lower  and  the  upper  navigation,  very  largely 
increasing  the  carrying  power  of  the  Company.  A  steel  sailing 
vessel  has  also  been  placed  on  the  Lake  Mweru,  in  addition  to  the 
Good  News  on  Lake  Tanganyika,  to  open  up  further  trade  with 
these  distant  shores. 

The  Company  imported  into  the  interior  not  only  calico  and 
other  soft  goods,  but  such  articles  as  cinchona,  cacao,  tea,  fibre 
plants,  and  various  drugs,  to  be  grown  in  the  soils  and  localities 
suitable  to  each.  It  formed  and  irrigated  an  immense  nursery,  and 
imported  many  kinds  of  the  best  fruit  and  flower  seeds,  which  got 
gradually  distributed  throughout  the  country.  In  addition  to  ivory, 
it  exported  and  still  exports  indiarubber,  oil-seeds,  beeswax,  cotton, 
and  other  products  suitable  for  the  home  market.  Should  the 
gold-bearing  quartz,  extending  through  the  South  African  gold- 
fields  and  Mashonaland,  be  found  to  exist  on  the  western  shores  of 
Nyasa,  as  geological  experts  predict,  an  immense  impulse  would 
doubtless  be  given  to  the  Company's  development. 

It  also  commenced  a  very  successful  coffee  plantation,  although 
it  has  never  gone  in  largely  for  this  Central  African  industry. 

The  history  of  this  Nyasaland  coffee  is  interesting.  As  so  many 
different  accounts  of  its  origin  have  been  put  in  print,  it  is  right 
that  a  true  statement  should  be  made.  On  account  of  representa- 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  221 

tions  made  to  friends  at  home  by  Mr  John  Buchanan  of  the 
Blantyre  Mission,  three  small  plants,  of  the  Mocha  variety,  were 
taken  out  in  1878  from  the  Edinburgh  Botanic  Gardens  by  Mr 
Jonathan  Duncan.  Two  of  these  died  on  the  voyage,  but  the  one 
that  survived  took  root  in  rich  African  soil.  From  this  one 
specimen  plantations  were  formed  in  the  Shire  Highlands ;  and 
now  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  coffee  trees  claim  direct 
descent  from  this  Edinburgh  plant,  and  many  hundredweights  of 
the  finest  coffee  have  been  produced  and  sent  home  from  Central 
Africa  as  the  fruit  of  it.  It  has  verily  turned  out  a  commercial 
success,  and  it  may  be  said  without  much  exaggeration  that  it  is 
Scotch  coffee  which  is  the  staple  growth  of  Nyasaland. 

But  this  Company's  civilising  actions  extended  much  further 
than  what  the  writer  has  stated.  It  was  of  an  eminently  peaceful 
character,  and  refused  to  sell  guns  and  ammunition  to  Arabs  and 
other  disturbers  of  the  peace,  as  the  possession  of  such  things  by 
them  was  a  distinct  gain  to  the  slave-trade,  and,  moreover, 
tended  to  place  the  missionaries  and  the  Company  in  circum- 
stances of  peril.  Since  the  decision  of  the  Brussels  Conference 
in  1890,  the  Company's  hands  have  been  strengthened  in  this 
matter. 

Not  only  so,  but  it  set  itself  against  the  importation  of  in- 
toxicating drink  into  the  country.  The  large  Foreign  and 
Portuguese  houses  at  Kilimane  and  on  the  Zambesi  made 
strong  drink  one  of  their  staple  articles  of  universal  sale,  and 
drew  large  revenues  from  it.  This  Company  declined  to  do  such 
an  evil.  It  resolutely  and  nobly  refused  to  have  any  connection 
with  such  a  traffic,  or  any  share  in  the  profits  of  it.  Strong  drink 
is  known  to  have  been  a  source  of  ruin  to  many  native  tribes  in 
Africa.  It  has  often  broken  down  trade,  and  made  the  Christian- 
ising of  a  tribe  impossible.  It  is  a  matter  for  deep  lamentation 
that  merchants  in  Germany,  Portugal,  France,  and  Britain  should 
carry  on  such  a  disgraceful  traffic,  deplored  by  all  friends  of  Africa, 
both  white  and  black.  It  has  gone  on  for  generations,  until  in 
some  parts  the  rum  cask  and  the  demijohn  are  as  well  known  as 
beads  and  calico,  the  usual  currency  of  the  country.  The  continued 
existence  of  it  is  a  scandalous  shame  and  a  blot  on  Christian 
civilisation.  Mr  Joseph  Thomson,  F.R.G.S.,  and  other  experienced 
African  travellers,  have  hardly  been  able  to  find  language  strong 
enough  to  condemn  it. 


222  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

It  was  therefore  a  blessing  to  Nyasaland  when  this  Company  of 
honest  Scotch  traders  and  missionaries  refused  to  poison  its  un- 
happy inhabitants  with  rum,  gin,  and  similar  things.  As  followers 
of  David  Livingstone,  and  servants  of  a  Divine  Master,  they 
strenuously  opposed  these  liquors  gaining  admission  through  any 
door.  At  the  Berlin  Conference  of  1884,  Mr  F.  Moir,  who 
represented  the  interests  of  the  Company,  Dr  Laws  and  others 
were  successful  in  getting  the  traffic  arrested  throughout  all  the 
central  regions.  At  first  there  was  a  refusal  on  the  part  of 
Germany;  but  ultimately  the  traffic  was  prohibited  throughout 
these  regions,  as  part  of  the  new  commercial  basin  of  the 
Congo.  With  its  hands  thus  strengthened  the  Company  en- 
deavoured to  keep  down  the  evil  on  the  Nyasa  route,  and  to 
minimise  it  wherever  it  was  able.  Happily,  when  the  government 
of  the  country  was  undertaken  by  Britain,  this  beneficent  policy 
of  the  Lakes  Company  was  continued  by  the  Adminstration. 
The  further  provisions  of  the  Brussels  Act  were  enforced,  and  due 
restriction  was  forcibly  placed  on  the  importation  of  fire-arms 
and  alcohol,  both  of  which  were,  and  still  are,  denied  to  the 
natives. 

The  people,  of  course,  use  their  own  native  beer,  as  all  the 
tribes  of  Africa  do.  In  Nyasaland  this  beer  is  a  very  common 
article  of  consumption.  But  bad  enough  though  it  often  is,  it  is 
not  for  a  moment  to  be  compared  to  ardent  European  liquors.  It 
is  often  a  cause  of  quarrels,  fights,  and  even  deaths,  and  is  a  great 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  missionary  progress ;  but  no  havoc  is 
wrought  by  it  comparable  to  what  is  done  by  the  ardent  spirits 
of  our  own  country.  If  the  "  pombi "  pot  of  Central  Africa  has 
destroyed  its  thousands,  alcohol  has  slain  its  millions.  All  good 
men  may  well  thank  this  philanthropic  Lakes  Company,  and  the 
Administration  for  preventing  the  sale  of  it  to  the  natives  of  British 
Central  Africa. 

The  Company's  agents  in  Africa — who  were  and  still  are 
selected,  as  a  rule,  first  of  all  for  their  Christian  character — 
became  willing  helpers  of  the  Mission,  especially  in  its  earlier 
days,  and  planted  the  Gospel  banner  wherever  they  had  the  oppor- 
tunity. Some  of  them  were  earnest  Christian  workers,  elders  in 
churches  at  home,  and  men  whom  missionary  societies  might  be 
glad  to  employ.  They  often  took  charge  of  meetings  and  schools 
for  the  missionaries,  working  side  by  side  with  them  for  the  good 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  223 

of  the  people.  "  Service  is  held  daily  at  our  main  stations,"  wrote 
Mr  F.  Moir,  in  1884.  "During  journeys  also  the  agents  of  the 
Company  have  ample  opportunities  of  teaching  the  natives  who 
accompany  them.  Many  do  so  regularly,  and  on  the  march 
natural  curiosity  draws  numbers  of  outsiders  to  hear  what  the 
strangers  have  to  tell.  The  mere  fact  of  our  not  working  on 
Sunday  leads  to  frequent  enquiries,  so  that,  before  missionaries 
arrive,  natives  along  the  route  have  at  least  their  curiosity  aroused, 
and  want  to  hear  more  of  the  white  man's  God."  *  It  is  not  often 
that  a  man's  own  personal  character  comes  well  through  the  dust 
of  mercenary  complications,  but  in  addition  to  the  Messrs  Moir 
there  were  many  others  connected  with  the  Company,  such  as 
Fotheringham  and  Harkess,  of  whom  this  statement  can  be  made 
— men  who  were  missionaries  wherever  they  went,  and  were 
respected  and  admired  by  all.  It  was  truly  the  only  Company 
in  East  Central  Africa,  which  by  its  example,  moral  behaviour, 
and  precepts,  showed  the  natives  how  to  live  and  what  to  live 
for.  Only  lately  it  offered  to  subscribe  ^75  yearly  towards  the 
expenses  of  a  travelling  Mission  Agency  on  the  Zambezi  and  Shire 
rivers. 

Mr  Low  Monteith  Fotheringham,  just  referred  to — or  "  Montisi," 
as  he  was  affectionately  called  by  the  natives  from  the  Zambesi  to 
Tanganyika — died  of  fever  at  Chinde  on  his  way  home  in  1895. 
He  was  a  genuine  Christian,  and  was  highly  trusted  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him.  Before  leaving  for  Africa  he  was  an  office- 
bearer in  Free  St  Mary's,  Govan,  Superintendent  of  one  of  its 
Sunday  Schools,  and  President  of  its  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association.  He  went  out  in  1882,  and  was  for  a  long  time  the 
only  white  man  at  Karonga,  acting  as  forwarding  agent  also  for 
the  Mweniwanda  Mission  Station,  fifty-five  miles  over  the  hills. 
He  was  a  man  of  upright  disposition,  of  great  bravery,  and  absol- 
utely just  in  his  dealings.  Not  only  the  North  Nyasa  natives,  but 
the  Manibwe  of  the  Tanganyika  Plateau,  and  the  Tonga  of  West 
Nyasa,  came  to  regard  him  as  their  friend  and  leader.  When  the 
Arab  slave  ruffians,  under  Mlozi,  pounced  upon  the  country,  the 
poor  Konde  tribes  looked  to  Fotheringham  for  advice  and  protec- 
tion. Hundreds  of  natives  fled  to  his  station  at  Karonga,  which 
was  then  unfortified.  On  being  asked  to  give  them  up  he  refused, 
and  answered  the  Arab  threats  by  commencing  to  fortify  the  place. 
*  "The  Eastern  Route  to  Central  Africa,"  by  Fred  L.  Moir,  p.  3. 


224  DAYBREAK  IN  LI7INGSTONIA 

During  the  Arab  war,  which  resulted,  he  nobly  defended  the 
helpless  people  from  their  cruel  oppressors,  thus  helping  to  rescue 
the  whole  of  the  beautiful  Konde  region  for  the  advance  of  civilisa- 
tion, commerce,  and  Christianity.*  On  the  commencement  of  the 
British  Protectorate,  he  was  offered  a  post  under  the  Administra- 
tion, but  preferred  to  remain  in  the  employment  of  the  African 
Lakes  Company.  It  is  an  instance  of  his  devoted  and  useful  life 
that  to  the  last  he  continued  to  interest  himself  in  the  affairs  of 
Free  St  Mary's,  and,  in  addition  to  donations  for  other  objects, 
sent  a  yearly  contribution  of  ^5  for  those  children  who  showed 
the  greatest  proficiency  in  Bible  knowledge. 

The  two  years'  war  against  the  Company  and  the  missionaries, 
to  which  the  writer  has  just  referred,  was  a  serious  matter. 
Both  John  and  Fred  Moir  were  wounded.  The  Company's 
resources  were  considerably  crippled,  and  it  was  brought  to  a 
critical  point  in  its  career.  A  "  Nyasa  Anti-Slavery  and  Defence 
Fund,"  of  ^"3400,  was  speedily  raised,  but  it  was  still  felt  that 
if  its  hands  were  not  greatly  strengthened,  and  something  very 
effective  done  to  put  down  Arab  and  Portuguese  influences, 
it  might  have  to  give  up  all  it  had  gained  and  leave  these  im- 
portant regions  to  the  rapidly  increasing  villainies  of  slave-dealers. 
The  good  work  of  David  Livingstone,  Dr  Stewart,  Dr  Laws,  the 
Messrs  Moir,  and  others,  seemed  about  to  be  obliterated.  The 
British  Government  would  have  stepped  in  at  this  time  and 
annexed  the  country,  but  was  prevented  by  political  influence. 
The  only  solution  seemed  to  be  for  the  Company  to  obtain  a 
Charter,  as  the  British  East  Africa  Company,  under  Sir  William 
Mackinnon,  had  just  done,  for  many  of  the  most  powerful  chiefs 
had  made  treaties  in  legal  form  with  the  Company,  for  the  ad- 
ministration and  protection  of  their  countries,.  A  meeting,  pre- 
sided over  by  Lord  Balfour  of  Burleigh,  was  held  in  Glasgow  on 
2nd  May  1889,  f°r  tne  consideration  of  this  proposal.  It  was 
agreed  that  steps  should  at  once  be  taken  either  for  the  formation 
of  a  new  company,  or  for  an  extension  of  the  African  Lakes 
Company,  under  Royal  Charter,  and  it  was  resolved  to  approach 
the  Government  on  the  subject.  The  British  South  Africa 
Company  was  also  applying  at  this  time  for  a  Charter  to  develop 
the  country  in  which  its  interests  were  situated,  and  was  willing 

*  See  Mr   Fotheringham's  Book,    "Adventures   in  Nyasaland"  (Sampson 
Low). 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  225 

to  amalgamate  with  the  Lakes  Company,  or  otherwise  make 
some  agreement  with  it.  Discussion  as  to  such  matters  went  on 
for  two  or  three  months,  but  at  last,  in  the  autumn  of  1889,  it 
came  to  an  end  by  H.M.  Government  granting  a  Charter  to  the 
South  Africa  Company  for  territories  south  of  the  Zambesi,  and 
about  the  same  time  casting  its  protecting  aegis  over  Nyasaland 
and  the  whole  adjoining  territory ;  and  next  year,  when  difficulties 
arose  as  to  the  means  of  administration  in  this  northern  region, 
the  British  South  Africa  Company  intervened  with  statesmanlike 
generosity,  and  guaranteed  the  cost,  subject  to  certain  conditions. 
H.M.  Government  accepted  the  offer,  and  in  the  spring  of  1891 
publicly  proclaimed  a  British  Protectorate  over  the  regions  im- 
mediately adjacent  to  Lake  Nyasa  and  the  Shire,  to  be  ad- 
ministered directly  by  a  Commissioner  under  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment ;  and  as  one  of  the  conditions  it  also  extended  this  Chartered 
Company's  sphere  of  operations  from  South  Africa  to  the  vast 
territory  north  of  the  Zambesi  and  west  of  the  Protectorate,  now 
known  as  British  Central  Africa. 

This  action  of  the  Government  removed  all  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  British  trade,  and  gave  security  for  the  unmolested  con- 
tinuation of  that  commercial  and  missionary  work  which  had 
already  proved  so  fruitful.  This  Chartered  Company  undertook 
to  govern  this  immense  region  outside  the  Protectorate,  and 
preserve  public  order,  to  establish  and  maintain  a  force  of  police, 
to  abolish  the  slave-trade,  to  prevent  the  sale  of  alcoholic  liquors 
to  the  natives,  and  to  administer  justice  with  a  careful  regard  to 
the  customs  and  laws  of  the  people,  and  otherwise  to  act  in  a 
philanthropic  spirit.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  some  of  its 
actions  in  Africa,  it  has  of  late  given  grants  of  land  to  the  Living- 
stonia  Mission  at  Kondowi,  Karonga,  Mwenzo,  and  other  Stations, 
for  the  furtherance  of  missionary  work — mineral  rights  alone  being 
excepted. 

The  African  Lakes  Company,  in  order  to  assist  m  the  better 
development  of  commerce  and  civilisation  in  the  country,  entered 
into  several  agreements  wtth  this  Chartered  Company — both 
before  and  after  it  received  its  charter — so  that  the  two  might  go 
hand  in  hand,  and  in  doing  so  took  special  care  to  secure  the 
attainment  of  the  object  for  which  it  was  mainly  instituted,  viz., 
the  prosperity  of  the  Missions  and  the  moral  improvement  of 
the  natives.  It  was  reconstructed  in  August  1893,  and  was 
p 


226  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

strengthened  and  enlarged  under  a  new  name,  "  The  African 
Lakes  Corporation,  Limited,"  in  order  to  meet  the  growing 
requirements  and  opportunities  of  the  country.  It  also  granted 
to  the  British  South  Africa  Company  shares  in  the  new  Corpora- 
tion, instead  of  amalgamating  with  it  as  at  first  intended. 

Since  the  final  settlement  of  all  such  commercial  and  ad- 
ministrative matters,  the  African  Lakes  Corporation  has  made 
remarkable  progress.  It  has  now  begun  to  reap  the  rich  fruits 
of  its  past  labours.  For  a  number  of  years  it  paid  no  dividend, 
but  as  a  Company  managed  on  honourable  principles  it  got  its 
return  in  philanthropy.  At  last,  however,  it  has  been  placed  on 
a  thoroughly  secure  foundation,  returning  substantial  remuneration 
for  the  capital  invested,  as  well  as  doing  excellent  missionary  work 
for  Africa. 

But,  in  addition  to  the  African  Lakes  Corporation,  another 
instance  of  the  persevering  efforts  of  the  Livingstonia  Mission  for 
the  commercial  good  of  Africa  must  be  recorded.  We  refer  to 
the  construction  of  the  "  Stevenson  Road  "  between  Lakes  Nyasa 
and  Tanganyika.  There  were  many  reasons  which  led  to  the 
undertaking  of  this  difficult  piece  of  work.  Mr  James  Stevenson, 
that  most  willing  friend  of  Africa,  saw  what  an  incalculable  benefit 
such  a  road  would  be,  and  had  it  sketched  out  as  early  as  1876. 
It  would  connect  the  two  lakes,  and  thus  make  one  continuous 
route  from  the  coast  to  the  north  of  Tanganyika  in  the  heart  of 
the  Dark  Continent,  allowing  merchants  and  missionaries  to  reach 
these  central  regions  from  the  Zambesi,  instead  of  going  over  the 
country  from  Zanzibar.  The  London  Missionary  Society,  which 
had  to  reach  its  destination  on  Lake  Tanganyika  by  the  long 
overland  route  from  Bagamoyo  to  Ujiji,  had  encountered  in- 
numerable difficulties  and  vexations,  leading  to  enormous  expense 
and  to  the  loss  of  valuable  lives.  But  with  such  a  road  as  this, 
Africa  would  be  opened  up  to  its  centre — at  least  to  Tanganyika 
— by  that  natural  water  way  pointed  out  by  Livingstone,  via  the 
Zambesi,  the  Shire,  and  Lake  Nyasa. 

With  a  view  to  this  road,  the  fine  district  between  the  two 
lakes  was  roughly  surveyed  in  1879  by  that  valuable  member  of 
the  Mission,  Mr  James  Stewart,  C.E.,  who  was  an  experienced 
engineer.  He  had  been  at  work  on  the  construction  of  the 
great  Sirhind  Canal  in  India;  and  since  he  entered  the  Mission 
service  in  1877,  he  had  made  the  sixty  mile  road  round  the 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  227 

Murchison  Rapids,  vid  Blantyre,  had  laid  out  the  Established 
Church  settlement,  and  had  mapped  out  the  coast-line  of  the 
Lake. 

He  entered  upon  this  survey  of  the  Nyasa-Tanganyika  Plateau 
with  much  enthusiasm.  Accompanied  by  Mr  John  Moir,  he  left 
Cape  Maclear  in  the  Ilala  on  loth  September  of  that  year  to 
accomplish  the  work.  He  took  with  him  forty-three  natives, 
some  of  whom  served  as  guard  and  the  rest  as  ordinary  carriers. 
Chimlolo,  one  of  the  Mission's  faithful  men,  acted  as  caravan 
leader.  After  being  compelled  to  leave  Mr  Moir  footsore  behind, 
Mr  Stewart  pushed  on  to  a  ridge  5400  feet  high,  from  which 
he  got  his  first  view  of  Lake  Tanganyika.  At  Pambete,  on  the 
southern  shore,  he  met  Mr  Joseph  Thomson,  of  the  Royal  Geo- 
graphical Society,  who  had  journeyed  from  Dar-es-Salaam,  and 
had  only  arrived  the  day  before.  Mr  Stewart  found  the  country 
to  be  level  and  the  natives  friendly ;  and  he  calculated  the  shortest 
distance  between  the  two  lakes  to  be  about  210  miles.  It  was 
a  great  undertaking  in  these  early  days  to  cross  this  extensive 
region,  and  to  pass  through  the  domains  of  so  many  strange  and 
barbarous  tribes ;  but  the  journey  was  completed  without  any 
disaster  except  the  death  of  one  of  the  native  attendants  through 
fever.  Mr  Stewart  reached  Cape  Maclear  on  2oth  December  in 
good  health,  after  an  absence  of  over  three  months.  "  We  would 
desire,"  he  wrote,  "to  acknowledge  the  goodness  of  God  to  us 
throughout  this  journey,  and  to  return  Him  thanks  and  praise  for 
all  His  loving  care  of  us." 

In  his  report  on  the  district  he  favoured  the  road  scheme,  and 
recommended  that  it  should  be  carried  out.  Only  the  first  forty 
or  fifty  miles,  he  showed,  would  present  any  difficulty  of  construc- 
tion, requiring  considerable  excavations  in  sidelong  ground  and  in 
breaking  and  removal  of  rocks,  but  throughout  the  rest  of  the  way 
there  would  be  little  trouble.  The  report  was  welcomed  by  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society  and  by  scientific  men  all  over,  and 
excited  a  good  deal  of  interest  among  all  anxious  for  the  welfare 
of  Africa.  Mr  Stewart  returned  home  on  furlough  in  1880,  and 
in  recognition  of  his  valuable  services  was  made  a  Fellow  of  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society. 

In  February  1881,  not  very  long  after  Mr  Stewart's  report  had 
been  received  and  discussed,  Mr  James  Stevenson — the  first  mover 
and  supporter  of  the  scheme — offered  to  the  Livingstonia  Mission 


228  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

to  provide  the  munificent  sum  of  ^£4000  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
structing this  road,  ^"3000  of  which  was  a  free  gift.  The  offer 
was  made  on  the  following  conditions,  which  were  necessary  to 
make  the  road  serviceable  in  the  cause  of  Christianity  and  civilisa- 
tion. First,  that  the  London  Missionary  Society  would  per- 
manently adopt  the  Shire  and  Nyasa  route  to  their  Mission 
Stations  on  Lake  Tanganyika,  would  send  out  a  steamer  for  that 
lake,  and  would  plant  a  Station  near  Tanganyika  on  the  line  of 
road  between  the  two  lakes.  Second,  that  the  Livingstonia 
Mission  would  establish  and  maintain  a  Station  on  the  same  road 
near  Lake  Nyasa.  Third,  that  the  Lakes  Company  would  widen 
its  organisation,  and  develop  its  operations  as  far  as  Tanganyika. 
While  laying  weight  on  these  conditions,  Mr  Stevenson's  letter 
stated  that  he  gave  the  money  "as  a  contribution  towards  the 
civilisation  of  South-East  Africa,  believing  that  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  whole  scheme  will  be  for  the  glory  of  God,  and 
for  the  good  of  the  natives  of  these  countries  " — a  generous  sign 
of  his  constant,  philanthropic  interest  in  oppressed  Africa. 

It  deserves  to  be  said  that  this  respected  member  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  is  the  one  man,  more  than  any  other,  perhaps, 
who  has  had  the  making  of  these  inland  regions  from  the  Shire"  to 
Tanganyika.  The  Messrs  Moir  and  our  missionaries  have,  of 
course,  laboured  hard  on  the  spot,  early  and  late,  in  a  way  the 
general  public  has  little  knowledge  of;  but  it  is  nevertheless  true 
that  Nyasaland  is  to-day  what  it  is  very  largely  owing  to  the 
thoughtfulness  and  unwearied  diligence  of  Mr  James  Stevenson 
— a  fact  which  is  not  generally  known.  He  is  one  of  those 
workers  who  labour,  steadily  and  quietly,  without  haste  and 
without  rest,  on  behalf  of  a  great  cause ;  and  when  the  historian 
of  the  future  comes  to  write  the  history  of  the  Dark  Continent, 
he  will  give  to  this  generous,  self-denying  Scotchman  the  credit 
that  he  so  much  deserves.  British  Central  Africa  would  be  a 
poorer  place  to-day  if  it  had  lacked  his  services. 

The  Livingstonia  Mission  and  the  Lakes  Company  were  not 
long  in  signifying  their  acceptance  of  Mr  Stevenson's  terms  and 
their  preparedness  to  do  the  work  desired;  and  the  Company 
further  promised  to  undertake  the  maintenance  of  the  road — 
some  of  the  more  prominent  members  agreeing  to  take  a  larger 
interest  in  the  Company,  if  necessary,  for  furthering  this  object. 
The  London  Missionary  Society,  also,  after  a  few  months'  con- 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  «9 

sideration,  agreed — with  some  variations — to  the  conditions  laid 
down  by  Mr  Stevenson,  although  it  was  not  altogether  dissatisfied 
with  the  overland  route  from  Zanzibar,  Captain  Hore  especially 
being  a  strong  upholder  of  this  route. 

The  Mission  entrusted  the  construction  of  this  great  highway 
and  the  founding  of  the  Missionary  Station  to  Mr  Stewart — the 
missionary  who  had  mapped  out  the  district.  Before  he  left 
Britain  to  commence  the  work,  a  valedictory  service  was  held  in 
College  Free  Church,  Glasgow,  and  excited  extraordinary  interest, 
many  being  unable  to  find  seats.  The  Rev.  G.  Reith  presided, 
and  the  Rev.  Dr  Andrew  Bonar  delivered  the  solemn  charge  to 
Mr  Stewart  and  the  two  artizans,  Messrs  R.  S.  Ross  and  Donald 
Munro,  who  were  to  accompany  him.  The  party  left  Britain  on 
1 3th  May  1881,  and  carried  with  them  some  valuable  instruments 
lent  for  the  work  by  the  Royal  Geographical  Society. 

It  was  no  easy  task  that  lay  before  Mr  Stewart,  for  it  had  been 
arranged  to  make  the  road  ten  feet  wide.  Immense  difficulties 
lay  in  the  ascent  from  the  Konde  plain,  which  is  only  about 
fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  Nyasa,  to  the  great  plateau  between 
the  two  lakes,  which  averages  about  5000  feet  in  altitude.  Once 
on  this  elevated  ground,  however, — the  source  of  the  Zambesi 
and  Congo  waters — little  required  to  be  done,  the  ground  being 
more  or  less  level,  made  up  of  large  undulating  patches  with  river 
beds  in  the  hollows.  The  crux  of  the  difficulty  lay  in  reaching 
this  plateau  from  the  plain  at  the  north  of  the  Lake.  The  road 
had  to  go  through  the  mountains  and  away  up  over  precipitous 
ground. 

But  Mr  Stewart  laid  his  plans  with  much  hopefulness.  He 
intended  to  make  the  road  start  from  the  extreme  north  of  the 
Lake,  and  pass  through  the  beautiful  Buntali  country,  along  the 
Songwe  valley,  and  thus  up  to  the  plateau.  His  object  was  to 
avoid  as  much  of  the  steep  ascent  as  possible.  But  he  found 
some  of  the  ground  here  very  rocky,  and  the  route  longer  than 
that  from  Karonga.  An  unfortunate  event  also  happened  which 
led  him  finally  to  change  his  plans.  Through  the  influence  of 
slave-dealers,  who  regarded  this  Junction  Road  as  a  blow  against 
their  evil  traffic,  a  massacre  of  his  native  porters  took  place  in 
the  Buntali  district. 

The  story  of  this  terrible  deed  may  be  briefly  told.  Having 
other  work  for  Messrs  Ross  and  Munro,  Mr  Stewart  could  not 


2  3o  DAT  BREAK  IN  LiriNGSTONIA 

keep  them  constantly  marching  down  to  the  Lake  for  goods,  and 
so  he  sent  the  native  carriers  by  themselves — most  of  them 
trusted  men  whom  he  had  brought  from  the  mission  at  Bandawe. 
They  had  already  passed  six  times  along  the  road  in  safety — a 
white  man  being  in  charge  four  times.  On  this  particular  occasion 
to  which  the  writer  refers,  they  were  accompanied  by  eight  men 
from  Chiwinda,  a  friendly  chief  on  the  plateau.  On  November 
1 7th,  while  passing  through  the  district  of  a  chief  named 
Mwembera,  they  were  barbarously  attacked  by  him  and  his  men, 
and,  out  of  twenty-two,  nineteen  were  savagely  murdered.  One 
man  from  Mazaro,  one  from  Blantyre,  one  from  Bandawe,  eight 
from  Cape  Maclear,  and  eight  from  Chiwinda's,  were  killed. 
Some  of  these  had  trudged  many  a  weary  mile  with  Dr  Laws  and 
the  other  missionaries,  and  had  in  various  ways  endeared  them- 
selves to  the  Mission. 

On  hearing  the  news,  Mr  Stewart  started  with  Mr  Ross  and  a 
few  of  their  reduced  party  to  make  enquiries.  On  reaching  the 
place  which  was  the  scene  of  the  massacre,  they  were  stopped  by 
blood  marks  on  the  road  side.  After  a  little  search,  they  found 
a  newly  made  grave,  and  a  little  scratching  with  sticks  exposed  a 
dead  man's  hand.  "  Let  us  trust  that  this  is  all,"  said  Mr  Stewart, 
overcome  with  emotion.  But  further  down  the  valley  they  were 
told  the  sorrowful  tale  that  none  of  the  nineteen  had  escaped. 
Poor  Matopa,  who  had  been  the  first  volunteer  for  the  Blantyre 
road  four  years  before,  was  the  first  to  be  speared !  The  rest 
made  no  resistance,  and  were  killed  as  they  ran.  Three  nearly 
escaped  after  running  several  miles,  but,  on  sitting  down  at  a 
village  exhausted,  they  were  speared  as  they  lay  helpless  on  the 
ground. 

Mr  Stewart  was  terribly  disheartened  over  the  matter.  To  add 
to  his  difficulties,  Chiwinda  insisted  on  some  compensation,  and 
threatened  war  on  Mr  Stewart  and  his  workers  if  they  did  not 
obtain  it  for  him.  Although  he  would  doubtless  have  been 
defeated,  his  enmity  would  have  made  Mr  Stewart's  position  in 
the  district  one  of  extreme  peril  and  wholly  untenable.  The 
heroic  engineer  would  have  had  to  abandon  all  his  goods  and 
fight  his  way  to  the  Lake  against  people  with  whom  he  had  no 
quarrel  whatever.  To  satisfy  Chiwinda,  or .  failing  that,  to  effect 
a  safe  retreat  from  the  district,  he  set  out  for  Mwembera's  on 
3rd  December,  along  with  Mr  Ross,  Captain  Fairlie  of  the  f/a/a, 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  231 

Mr  Moir  of  the  Lakes  Company,  and  a  strong  and  well  armed 
party,  to  do  what  might  be  necessary  in  the  case.  "  Candidly," 
he  wrote,  as  he  was  about  to  leave,  "  I  see  no  escape  without 
fighting  either  against  our  present  friends  or  against  Mwembera. 
I  pray  God  that  we  may  yet  find  a  way  out  of  these  troubles, 
which  are  quite  beyond  our  power  to  control."  Most  providentially, 
however,  the  expedition  found  the  place  to  a  great  extent  deserted 
— Mwembera  and  all  his  people  having  cleared  out  of  the  valley 
after  failing  to  get  help  from  the  neighbouring  chiefs.  Only  once 
were  they  attacked  by  a  few  men,  who,  however,  at  once  retired 
to  the  hills.  "  In  prestige,"  wrote  Mr  Stewart,  "  I  have  no  doubt 
that  Mwembera  has  suffered  severely,  and  that  he  will  not  think 
of  doing  anything  similar  again.  The  whole  matter  has,  I  think, 
raised  a  good  deal  of  friendly  feeling  between  my  party  and  the 
people  throughout  the  district." 

On  returning  to  Chiwinda's,  Mr  Stewart  soon  saw  that  he  could 
not  count  upon  any  further  help  from  him.  He  gave  him  a 
present  of  hoes  and  cloth,  and  also  a  present  to  the  relatives  of 
the  men  massacred,  and  with  great  regret  abandoned  the  district, 
and  resolved  to  seek  another  route,  as  such  perils  made  the 
construction  of  the  road  in  this  quarter  a  dangerous  matter. 

Eventually,  after  several  months'  delay  during  the  rainy  season, 
the  road  was  commenced  from  Karonga  and  carried  through 
Mweniwanda's  country.  Five  miles  of  the  road  near  Karonga 
consisted  of  solid  cutting,  from  eight  to  fifteen  feet  deep,  in  the 
side  of  a  hill  above  the  river  Rukuru,  and  extending  to  the  foot 
of  the  Virauri  hill.  This  portion  of  the  work  was  very  tedious, 
as  it  had  to  be  done  by  pick  and  heavy  crowbars.  The  solid 
rocks  that  were  displaced — many  of  them  several  tons  in  weight — 
are  still  visible  in  the  form  of  an  embankment  on  the  riverside. 
It  was  in  this  cutting  that  some  interesting  fossils  were  discovered 
by  Professor  Drummond.  At  other  places,  heavy  cuttings  had 
to  be  made,  many  miles  of  the  road  being  terraced  out  of  the 
hillside,  and  forming  a  piece  of  substantial  work  that  cannot  fail 
to  be  observed  by  travellers.  Considering  that  the  only  labour  to 
depend  on  was  that  of  unskilled  natives,  the  work  accomplished 
was  surprising,  and  Mr  Stewart  deserved  the  more  credit  if  we 
remember  that  the  tools  which  would  have  been  used  at  home  in 
similar  work,  such  as  cranes,  barrows,  and  dynamite  were  not 
available,  and  that  the  work  was  executed  principally  with  native 


232  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

instruments.  "  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  impression  created 
on  me  when  I  first  saw  the  work,"  wrote  Captain  Hore,  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  in  1884.  "Coming  as  I  did  from 
the  interior,  and  not  unacquainted  altogether  with  the  work  of 
pick  and  shovel,  etc.,  the  road  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  most 
wonderful  undertaking,  as  indeed  it  is  under  present  conditions, 
and  with  such  appliances  only  as  are  available  here." 

But  it  was  not  long  before  Mr  Stewart  laid  down  his  life  in 
this  noble  attempt  to  open  up  Africa  to  commerce  and 
Christianity.  Scarcely  had  the  first  and  most  difficult  part  of  the 
road  been  made,  when  news  came  of  his  sudden  death.  He  was 
busily  engaged  at  the  time  in  making  Mweniwanda  missionary 
station  secure,  and  in  pushing  the  road  forward  to  the  high 
plateau.  In  his  construction  he  had  reached  Maramurra,  a 
difficult  and  unhealthy  district,  and  was  hoping  in  a  short  time 
to  transport  to  Tanganyika  the  London  Missionary  Society's 
steamer  Good  News,  which  he  had  already  brought  up  in  sections 
to  the  top  of  Lake  Nyasa.  But  in  the  height  of  this  work,  while 
he  was  busy  planting  the  Gospel,  casting  up  the  highway,  and 
lifting  up  a  standard  for  the  people,  the  call  came  to  him  to  cease. 
He  was  found  by  Mr  Fred.  Moir  lying  under  a  tree,  weak  from 
fever  and  other  troubles,  but  able  to  sit  up  and  speak.  A  feu- 
days  afterwards — on  3oth  August  1883 — God  touched  him  and 
he  slept. 

It  was  no  small  loss  to  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  for  he  had 
been  a  most  efficient  colleague  to  Dr  Laws,  working  with  him 
amid  storm  and  sunshine,  trial  and  triumph,  sorrow  and  joy ; 
and  he  had  endeared  himself  to  all  by  his  kindness,  his  self- 
denying  labours,  and  his  Christian  life.  He  was  a  sincere  and 
upright  man,  and,  being  also  self-possessed  and  courageous,  he 
could  be  trusted  in  the  hour  of  danger  or  in  any  emergency. 
His  steady  hand  had  more  than  once  been  Dr  Laws'  best  help 
at  the  operating  table.  His  work  for  Africa  was  thoroughly 
genuine,  and  flowed  from  that  love  to  Christ  which  filled  his 
heart.  His  last  letter  home  protested  against  the  slave-trade, 
and  against  European  travellers  "  soiling  their  hands  by  touching 
this  accursed  traffic."  It  was  a  beautiful  testimony  that  Dr  Laws 
gave  of  him  in  the  Assembly  of  1884:  "I  have  lived  with  Mr 
Stewart  on  shore  and  on  board  ship,  amid  circumstances  of 
sorrow  and  of  joy,  of  danger  and  of  pleasure,  on  the  march  and 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE 


233 


in  the  camp,  and  in  every  variety  of  condition  found  him  to  be 
the  same  faithful,  upright  friend,  actuated  by  one  motive — a 
single-hearted  desire  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  His 
death  has  been  an  unspeakable  loss  to  the  Mission ;  and  the 
blank  felt  in  our  little  circle  is  great  indeed,  as  we  look  in  vain 
for  the  kindly  glance  of  his  beaming  eye  and  the  bright  smile 
lighting  up  his  face,  as  he  heard  of  the  success  of  some  part  of 
the  work  which  had  been  undertaken." 

Who  that  thinks  of  such  a  noble-hearted  missionary  will  not 
say  in  that  appropriate  lay  of  Kirk  and  Covenant — 

"  I  bless  Thee  for  tbe  quiet  rest  Thy  servant  taketh  now  ; 
I  bless  Thee  for  his  blessedness,  and  for  his  crowned  brow ; 
For  every  weary  step  he  trod  in  faithful  following  Thee, 
And  for  the  good  fight  foughten  well,  and  closed  right  valiantly." 

Only  a  short  time  afterwards  Mr  James  White,  the  honoured 
Convener  of  the  Livingstonia  Committee,  was  also  called  away 
from  the  toil  of  the  vineyard  to  "  the  rest  that  remaineth."  Mr 
White's  ripe  judgment  and  administrative  ability  had  often  helped 
the  Mission  in  days  of  difficulty;  and  the  loss  of  these  two 
servants  of  God  at  such  a  time  seemed  to  be  irreparable.  Friends 
of  the  Mission  could  not  help  feeling  that  some  of  the  brightest 
lights  had  gone  out  and  left  the  Mission  in  darkness.  Yet  God, 
in  his  loving  kindness  and  tender  mercy,  gave  some  measure  of 
compensation.  These  devoted  men  had  gone  from  the  service  of 
earth ;  but  Mr  Stewart's  grave,  under  a  great  baobab  tree  near 
Karonga,  was  another  and  an  advanced  milestone  in  the  progress 
of  Africa's  regeneration,  while  Mr  White's  mantle  fell,  with  a 
double  portion  of  his  spirit,  upon  his  gifted  and  much  respected 
son — now  better  known  as  Lord  Overtoun — who  has  ever  since 
guided  the  Mission  with  most  remarkable  wisdom  and  success, 
and  whose  generosity  to  Africa,  both  in  its  central  and  southern 
regions,  is  too  well  known  to  be  recorded. 

Mr  William  O.  M'Ewen,  C.E.,  a  young  and  skilful  engineer, 
was  sent  out  to  take  up  Mr  Stewart's  work.  Leaving  Glasgow  in 
February  1884,  he  reached  Karonga  in  August,  and,  along  with 
Mr  Donald  Munro  and  forty-nine  workmen,  at  once  commenced 
operations.  Mr  Stewart,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  had  con- 
structed twenty-six  miles  of  road  out  of  the  fifty-five  from  Karonga 
to  Mweniwanda,  but  as  there  had  been  no  attempt  as  yet  at  main- 


234  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

tenance,  much  of  it  was  now  overgrown  with  grass  and  young 
trees,  owing  to  the  power  of  the  African  sun  on  vegetation,  and 
one  part  of  it  was  blocked  by  landslips.  After  clearing  away  all 
such  obstructions  and  overgrowth,  Mr  M'Ewen  set  to  work  on  the 
new  part,  completing  about  seventeen  miles  of  it  during  the  avail- 
able months  of  the  dry  season.  Mr  Munro,  who  was  a  thorough 
workman,  deserved  much  of  the  credit  for  this  satisfactory 
progress. 

On  being  stopped  by  the  rains,  Mr  M'Ewen  prepared  an 
expedition,  with  the  intention  of  journeying  to  Tanganyika,  in 
order  to  examine  the  plateau  at  its  worst,  and  lay  out  the  probable 
line  of  road  beyond  Mweniwanda.  The  expedition  left  Karonga 
in  December,  at  the  height  of  the  rainy  season,  when  there  were 
heavy  tropical  showers,  with  thunder  and  lightning,  and  the  streams 
were  red  and  swollen.  Mr  Munro  was  taken  ill  near  Chirenji  with 
a  severe  attack  of  fever;  and  as  alarming  symptoms  began  to 
manifest  themselves,  Mr  M'Ewen  sent  him  back  in  a  machila  to 
Karonga,  and  not  being  well  himself,  he  abandoned  all  thought  of 
attempting  the  long  journey  at  such  an  unhealthy  season. 

In  April  1885,  when  the  rains  were  mostly  over,  he  resolved  to 
resume  operations  on  the  road.  Accordingly  he  left  Bandawe  along 
with  Mr  Munro  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  natives,  and  proceeded 
overland  to  the  plateau  by  way  of  Ngoniland.  His  feet  were  blistered 
by  the  much  tramping  of  which  Dr  Livingstone  complained,  and  he 
had  to  be  carried  nearly  all  the  way.  Footsore  and  weary,  in  lack 
of  proper  food,  sometimes  soaked  to  the  skin  with  rain,  and  often 
as  tired  as  if  he  had  walked  instead  of  being  carried,  he  neverthe- 
less pushed  on  to  the  scene  of  his  labours.  "  My  God  and  only 
Father,"  he  wrote  in  his  diary,  "give  me  grace  and  counsel,  and 
direct  my  ways  here  and  elsewhere,  that  I  may  have  a  life  like 
Christ's ;  make  me  to  know  my  duty,  and  give  me  strength  to  do 
it,  so  that  all  may  tend  to  increased  good  in  this  Thy  beautiful 
earth.  Thou  alone  knowest  the  future,  and  I  trust  in  Thee,  in 
Christ."  But  this  long  journey  amid  the  rains  told  its  own  tale. 
On  reaching  Karonga,  Mr  Munro  became  seriously  ill  with  fever, 
suffering  much  pain.  Mr  M'Ewen  remained  constantly  by  his 
bedside  till  he  saw  him  convalescent,  and  then  he  himself  was  laid 
low,  and  was  soon  beyond  all  earthly  hope.  At  last,  on  a  Sabbath 
afternoon — May  24th — he  quietly  breathed  away  his  spirit.  He 
was  laid  to  rest  under  the  large  baobab  tree  alongside  of  James 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  235 

Stewart,  about  a  hundred  natives  to  whom  he  had  endeared 
himself  following  him  to  his  grave. 

About  a  month  after  this  young  engineer's  death,  Mr  Munro 
started  single-handed  to  the  road,  although  in  a  very  feeble  state 
of  health;  but  in  a  few  weeks  he  was  compelled  to  relinquish 
the  work  and  return  home.  The  whole  of  the  road  up  to 
Mweniwanda's  was,  however,  finished  by  this  time,  and  as  there 
was  a  good  native  path  from  there  to  Tanganyika,  the  two  lakes 
were  practically  brought  together.  The  work  would  have  been 
continued  to  perfection  under  the  zealous  care  of  Mr  Stevenson,  if 
it  had  not  been  for  the  Arab  war,  which  seriously  interfered  with 
any  further  undertaking  at  the  time.  As  it  was,  there  was  now  a 
great  highway  from  Karonga  to  South  Tanganyika — the  completion 
of  a  route  of  fully  1400  miles  from  the  ocean  in  a  nearly  straight 
line,  with  only  about  260  miles  of  land  carriage  throughout  the 
whole  of  it. 

Surely  this  was  much  easier  than  the  long  wearisome  journey  of 
some  800  miles  overland  from  Zanzibar  to  Ujiji,  and  was,  without 
doubt,  a  great  advantage  to  the  London  Missionary  Society,  most 
of  whose  agents  declared  from  experience  that  the  two  routes  were 
not  to  be  compared.  Even  Captain  Hore,  who  was  somewhat 
opposed  to  this  Nyasa  route,  but  was  led  to  try  it,  remarked  that  the 
journey  of  two  hundred  miles  across  the  Plateau  was  to  him  nothing 
but  a  delightful  picnic  all  the  way — a  very  different  description  to 
that  given  by  missionaries  of  the  other  way,  via  Zanzibar  to  Ujiji. 
Certainly,  with  perfect  means  of  carriage,  at  regular  intervals,  on 
the  rivers  and  lakes  at  the  hands  of  the  African  Lakes  Company, 
no  better  entrance  to  the  interior  could  be  desired,  as  Livingstone 
himself  had  often  pointed  out.  Since  the  founding  of  the  British 
East  Africa  Company,  Lakes  Victoria  and  Albert  can  now  be 
more  readily  reached  from  Mombasa  overland ;  but  so  far  as 
Tanganyika  is  concerned,  the  conditions  are  unchanged,  and  the 
most  convenient  and  comfortable,  as  well  as  readiest  access  to  that 
region  is  by  this  water  route  of  the  Zambesi,  Shire",  and  Nyasa. 
No  railway  from  the  coast  can  ever  supersede  this  great  water 
highway. 

Truly,  in  the  construction  of  this  road  and  in  similar  matters, 
God's  Providence  in  Africa  was  marching  with  marvellous  rapidity. 
Less  than  ten  years  before,  it  was  a  most  difficult  and  trying 
matter  to  venture  from  the  coast,  even  as  far  as  Nyasa.  The 


236  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

unknown  sand  banks,  the  dreaded  shallowness  of  the  Lower  Shire 
and  the  numerous  portages  involved  made  the  journey  slow,  fatigu- 
ing, and  risky.  But  now,  not  only  had  these  difficulties  been  largely 
overcome,  but  there  was  a  missionary  and  civilizing  highway  carried 
almost  to  the  very  heart  of  that  mighty  country !  How  much 
easier  it  made  it  for  all  who  entered  Africa  from  the  east  coast ! 
Leaving  the  sea  at  Kilimane,  a  traveller  could  be  borne  over  200 
miles  on  the  Zambesi  and  Shire  rivers  to  the  Murchison  Rapids, 
doing  the  journey  in  about  a  week  in  a  saloon  steamer.  Past  the 
Rapids  he  could  walk  or  be  carried  about  60  miles  along  a  ten 
foot  road.  An  excellent  steamer  would  then  convey  him  up  the 
Shire  to  Lake  Nyasa,  and  along  350  miles  of  the  Lake  to  its 
northern  extremity.  Arrived  here,  he  would  find  the  Stevenson 
Road,  engineered  and  constructed  by  Scottish  missionaries.  This 
road  would  carry  him  over  200  miles  north-westward  to  the 
southern  end  of  Tanganyika.  From  here  a  well  equipped  steamer 
would  bear  him  along  450  miles  of  this  long  and  narrow  lake 
to  its  northern  end,  where  he  would  find  himself  not  far  from  the 
equator  and  the  source  of  the  Nile.  Altogether,  he  would  pass 
over  about  1400  miles  in  an  almost  straight  line,  steaming  on 
African  waters,  or  treading  through  primeval  forests,  and  coming 
into  contact  with  teeming  populations.  From  beginning  to  end 
also,  he  would  find  a  chain  of  medical,  evangelising,  and  industrial 
missions.  Surely,  all  this  was  the  rapid  marching  of  Divine  Pro- 
vidence for  the  benefit  of  Africa  ! 

Since  then  God  has  done  even  more  wondrously  for  that  once 
darkened  Continent.  It  is  no  longer  the  country  it  once  was.  It 
is  a  New  Africa,  brought  within  the  range  of  missionary  and 
commercial  enterprise.  And  God  will  do  mighty  things  yet  for  it. 
No  man  can  comprehend  what  advances  in  favour  of  commerce 
and  the  spread  of  Christianity  may  be  made  within  the  next  five 
hundred  years.  Matters  are  taking  rapid  strides  every  year,  and  if 
we  mistake  not,  future  generations  will  witness  miles  upon  miles  of 
roads  and  railways.  There  will  be  large  European  colonies  on  its 
highest  plateaux.  There  will  be  great  cities  and  huge  manufactur- 
ing centres  on  its  rivers.  Wheat  fields,  cotton  fields,  and  coffee 
plantations  will  be  found  everywhere.  The  great  and  valuable 
forests  of  timber  will  be  coined  into  untold  wealth.  Native  trading 
companies  will  carry  on  an  immense  business.  And  Africa,  once 
the  home  of  nakedness  and  barbarism,  will  be  covered — let  us 


CHRISTIAN  COMMERCE  237 

hope  and  pray — with  the  white  robe  of  a  Christian  commerce, 
and  occupy  an  important  place  in  the  councils  of  the  world's 
progress.  All  this  may  seem  like  Utopia.  But  if  the  signs  of 
the  times  are  correct,  these  are  changes  that  will  probably  be 
wrought  before  the  next  few  centuries  have  rolled  into  the  past. 

"  There's  a  fount  about  to  stream, 

There's  a  light  about  to  gleam, 

There's  a  warmth  about  to  glow, 

There's  a  flower  about  to  blow, 
There's  a  midnight  darkness  changing  into  gray — 
Men  of  thought,  and  men  of  action,  clear  the  way." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
PEACE  AND  GOODWILL 

IT  is  well  known  that  the  success  of  a  mission  depends  greatly  on 
its  attitude  towards  the  surrounding  tribes.  Realising  this,  the 
Committee,  in  their  early  written  instructions,  had  recommended 
the  missionaries  to  adopt  a  peaceful  and  conciliatory  procedure 
in  all  their  relations  with  the  people ;  and  this  the  missionaries 
have  always  done  in  every  possible  way. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  in  earlier  years  bloody  wars  and 
huge  tribal  disturbances  were  common  occurrences  in  Central 
Africa,  entailing  severe  suffering  upon  many  people.  With  some 
tribes,  war  was  the  general  pastime,  murder  the  greatest  luxury, 
and  plunder  the  daily  industry.  Bloody  feuds  often  began  without 
any  serious  provocation  at  all,  arising  from  quarrels  that  in  civilised 
countries  would  be  mere  law-suits.  All  that  a  chief  had  to  do  to 
declare  war  was  to  steal  another  chiefs  grain,  or  kidnap  some 
of  his  slaves.  Then  came  fire,  rapine,  destruction,  and  terrible 
massacre,  followed  by  innumerable  deaths  through  famine.  There 
were  generally  no  limitations,  the  awful  maxim  "jus  belli  in- 
finitum"  being  supreme.  The  slain  were  invariably  mutilated, 
and  their  heads  were  hung  on  poles  round  the  chiefs  stockade,  or 
displayed  somewhere  as  relics. 

Fortunately,  when  the  Mission  band  first  went  to  the  country,  a 
certain  amount  of  tranquillity  was  reigning  on  the  Shire*  and  in  the 
surrounding  district,  the  natives  working  peacefully  in  their  fields 
and  gardens.  There  was  no  rumour  of  any  great  war.  This 
peaceful  state  of  matters  gave  much  encouragement  to  the  mission- 
aries, as  they  had  been  somewhat  anxious  regarding  the  condition 
of  the  country,  no  news  having  been  received  from  it  for  about 
eight  years.  But  such  tranquillity  did  not  long  continue,  for  soon 
there  were  horrible  wars,  which  took  place  between  large  tribes, 
and  in  which  the  missionaries  found  themselves  bound  to  interfere. 
As  for  raids  and  minor  conflicts,  they  were  of  constant  occurrence, 
238 


PEACE  AND  GOODWILL  239 

even  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Mission  Station.  A  chiefs 
army,  desirous  of  slaves  or  plunder,  would  often  pounce  upon 
some  innocent  village,  capture  many  people,  and  kill  all  the  rest, 
except  those  fortunate  enough  to  escape.  The  Ngoni,  under 
Mombera,  were  especially  guilty  of  these  brutal  raids,  as  already 
mentioned.  But  in  this  they  did  not  stand  alone :  the  practice 
was  a  common  one  all  over.  So  late  as  1896  the  British  expedi- 
tion despatched  against  Chikusi  passed  a  great  number  of  villages 
which  had  been  burned  by  him,  and  about  which  were  lying  heaps 
of  speared  and  mutilated  bodies.  Such  events,  happily  uncommon 
now,  on  account  of  our  British  Administration,  were  of  daily 
occurrence  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  Mission.  Fierce  gangs  of 
men  often  stalked  through  the  country,  leaving  tracks  of  bloodshed 
behind  them,  and  terrifying  quiet  and  industrious  people.  No 
wonder  that  many  people  were  victims  of  fear,  afraid  not  so  much 
for  their  property,  which  was  perhaps  of  little  value,  but  for  dear 
life  !  They  never  knew  when  they  lay  down  at  night  but  that  they 
might  awake  to  receive  a  mortal  stab,  and  see  their  children  and 
friends  carried  away  captive. 

All  these  were  actions  which  had  to  be  strongly  condemned  by 
the  Mission.  It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  carry  out  the  condemna- 
tion in  such  a  way  as  to  secure  peace  to  all  concerned ;  but  to 
this  end  the  missionaries  strove,  with  all  the  wisdom  of  serpents 
and  the  harmlessness  of  doves.  They  had  to  be  very  careful 
sometimes.  When  two  neighbouring  tribes  happened  to  be  at 
war  with  each  other,  or  had  some  point  of  disagreement,  an 
attempt  was  sometimes  made  by  the  one  to  get  the  Mission  to 
take  its  side  or  to  assist  in  the  feud.  The  missionaries  always 
declined  to  make  such  an  alliance — in  spite  of  the  fowls,  tusks, 
and  oxen  offered  to  them  as  a  bribe — seeking  rather  in  an 
amicable  manner  to  condemn  all  tribal  enmity.  They  told  the 
people  that  war  in  self-defence  might  be  justified,  that  the  blood 
of  man  should  never  be  shed  but  to  redeem  the  blood  of  man — 
that  it  was  well  shed  for  our  family,  for  our  friends,  for  our  God, 
for  our  country,  for  our  kind,  but  that  all  the  rest  was  vanity  and 
crime.  They  let  them  see  that  the  better  way  still,  and  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Bible,  was  to  leave  vengeance  to  Him  whose  it  was, 
and  that  might  safely  be  done. 

It  was  certainly  a  most  difficult  task  to  interfere  in  such  things, 
requiring  an  extraordinary  amount  of  carefulness  and  wisdom.  But 


2  4o  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

it  is  matter  for  deep  gratitude  that,  through  the  Mission,  chiefs 
have  over  and  over  again  been  pacified,  many  villages  have  been 
saved  from  plunder,  and  multitudes  of  defenceless  people  have 
escaped  the  hands  of  cruel  marauders.  In  a  few  years  after  the 
arrival  of  the  missionaries  there  was  a  remarkable  willingness  to 
settle  quarrels  in  an  amicable  way  by  first  consulting  the 
"  Mzungu  "  (white  man),  and  without  having  recourse  to  clubs  and 
spears.  Wars  and  quarrels  continued  all  along,  but  year  by  year 
they  became  less  frequent,  owing  to  the  teaching  of  these 
ambassadors  of  Christ. 

On  this  point  the  independent  testimony  of  Mr  Joseph  Thomson, 
F.R.G.S.,  who  visited  the  Central  African  Lakes  in  1879,  only  four 
years  after  the  planting  of  the  Mission,  may  be  quoted.  "  Where 
international  effort  has  failed,"  he  says,  "  an  unassuming  Mission, 
supported  only  by  a  small  section  of  the  British  people,  has  been 
quietly  and  unostentatiously,  but  most  successfully,  realising  in  its 
own  district  the  entire  programme  of  the  Brussels  Conference.  I 
refer  to  the  Livingstonia  Mission  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland. 
This  Mission  has  proved  itself,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  a 
civilising  centre.  By  it  slavery  has  been  stopped,  desolating  wars 
put  an  end  to,  and  peace  and  security  given  to  a  wide  area  of 
country."  After  further  reference  to  the  good  work  accomplished, 
he  says,  "  Surely  here  are  exploits  being  done  which  ought  to  make 
us  proud  of  our  nation,  showing,  as  they  do,  how  thoroughly  the 
broad  and  catholic  spirit  of  Livingstone  still  survives  among 
his  countrymen."  *  This  is  no  mean  tribute,  coming  as  it  does 
from  a  man  of  large  African  experience  ;  and  every  word  of 
it  is  truth.  These  Christian  heroes,  filled  with  the  noblest 
aspirations  of  Livingstone,  and  the  best  characteristics  of 
Scotland,  planted  the  flag  of  Heaven  on  a  rock,  and  unfurling 
it  to  the  breeze,  proclaimed  peace  in  the  name  of  Christ  and 
humanity.  Without  any  earthly  force  to  back  them  up,  but 
simply  by  the  exercise  of  discretion  and  fearlessness,  and  sus- 
tained by  the  good  Providence  of  God,  they  have  prevented 
or  quelled  many  a  bitter  war  and  bound  up  many  a  bleeding 
wound. 

The  whole  history  of  the  Mission  is  filled  with  examples  of  the 
truth  of  Mr  Thomson's  words.  There  were  times,  of  course,  when 

*  "To  the  Central  African  Lakes  and  Back,"  vol.  ii.  p.  277. 


PEACE  AND  GOODWILL  241 

no  action  on  the  part  of  the  Mission  could  prevent  dispeace  and 
bloodshed,  as  when  the  terrible  Arab  raids  took  place  in  1887. 
But  apart  from  such  exceptions,  the  annals  of  the  Mission  abound 
in  cases  where  disturbances  and  wars  were  averted,  and  peace  was 
brought  about  through  the  wise  intervention  of  these  messengers  of 
the  Gospel.  Soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  Mission  one  man  said, 
"  You  see  these  spears :  we  received  them  from  our  fathers,  and 
we  keep  our  lands  in  safety;  but  if  you  will  show  us  a  better 
way  we  will  take  it."  They  were  shown  a  better  way,  and  in 
many  cases  were  prevailed  on  to  accept  it.  It  is  literally  true 
that  numbers  of  them  have  beaten  their  spears  into  pruning- 
hooks. 

The  Ngoni,  especially,  are  a  living  proof  of  the  peaceful 
influence  of  the  Mission.  When  Mr  E.  D.  Young  was  living 
among  the  Makololo  on  the  Shird,  in  1876,  waiting  for  Dr 
Stewart's  arrival  with  reinforcements,  he  heard  that  an  Ngoni 
army  were  encamped  not  far  off,  and  intended  to  make  a  raid  on 
the  Makololo,  or  visit  them,  no  doubt,  in  some  barbarous  way.  On 
the  evening  of  the  expected  visit  the  Makololo  gathered  together 
in  considerable  force,  heavily  armed,  ready  for  the  first  symptoms 
of  attack  by  their  much  dreaded  enemy.  Mr  Young,  to  prevent 
any  bloodshed,  resolved  to  confront  this  desperate  horde  of  Zulus, 
whose  terror  was  known  from  the  Zambesi  to  Tanganyika.  He 
seated  himself  on  a  box  at  the  door  of  his  hut  and  waited 
their  arrival.  They  advanced  in  true  military  fashion,  three 
hundred  in  number,  each  carrying  his  spears  and  shield,  and 
having  his  hair  plastered  in  warlike  style.  They  halted  opposite 
Mr  Young,  his  white  face  causing  much  consternation  in  their 
ranks.  Presently  their  valiant  warrior  chief  approached  in  an 
excessively  nervous  way.  Mr  Young  managed  to  give  him  a 
clear  account  of  the  missionaries,  their  desire  for  peace,  their 
dislike  of  all  cruelty,  and  their  object  in  being  in  the  country. 
"I  was  listened  to,"  he  says,  "with  the  very  deepest  atten- 
tion, and  was  glad  to  see  that  all  I  said  was  thoroughly 
appreciated." 

A  few  years  afterwards,  when  a  station  was  first  established 
among  these  Ngoni  savages,  Mr  Koyi  testified  that  the  scenes 
of  bloodshed  were  sickening.  For  a  hundred  miles  around 
the  Mission  Station  there  constant  war  raged  owing  to  these 
fierce  warriors.  It  seemed  as  if  nothing  could  tame  them, 
Q 


242  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

The  story  which  we  have  already  told  of  the  planting  of 
the  Mission  among  them  shows  the  extent  of  their  warlike 
spirit. 

In  1881-82  a  fierce  war  between  the  Ngoni  and  Tonga  was 
considerably  checked,  and  almost  ended  through  the  influence 
of  Dr  Laws  and  his  party  at  Bandawe ;  while  during  this  war, 
William  Koyi,  by  his  influence  with  the  Ngoni,  saved  a  large 
Tonga  village  from  attack,  and  was  thus  instrumental  in  pre- 
venting a  horrible  scene  of  bloodshed.  Later  on,  in  1887, 
when  a  thoroughly  exterminating  war  was  threatened  by  the 
Ngoni  upon  these  Lake  tribes,  the  whole  affair  was  again 
amicably  settled  through  the  wisdom  of  Dr  Laws  and  his 
colleagues.  The  brothers  of  Mombera,  the  great  Ngoni  chief, 
could  not  get  his  consent  to  an  army  being  sent  down  to  the 
Lake  shore  because  of  his  promise  to  Dr  Laws  years  before, 
which  he  had  scrupulously  kept  during  all  the  time,  though 
often  at  the  expense  of  his  popularity. 

Readers  would  be  surprised  if  we  were  to  quote  even  a  tenth 
of  the  cases  where  the  Mission  has  been  instrumental  in  saving 
life,  and  bringing  about  a  state  of  peace  between  the  Ngoni 
and  surrounding  tribes.  It  was  only  when  the  missionaries 
settled  among  this  warrior  people,  and  taught  them  peace  and 
goodwill  to  men,  that  their  proud  spirit  became  tamed  and 
their  hearts  changed.  Then  their  spears  were  thrown  aside, 
and  the  war  spirit  was  subdued.  They  no  more  sought  to 
kill  the  poor  Tonga,  and  plunder  their  villages,  but  they  learned 
to  treat  them  as  friends.  Before  long  members  of  this  hostile 
and  savage  tribe  were  found  sitting  at  the  Lord's  table  with 
some  of  these  once  oppressed  Tonga,  and  treating  them  as 
brethren  in  Christ  Jesus.  An  intelligent  young  man  of  the 
Tonga  tribe  gave  his  native  estimate  of  such  a  result  in  these 
words :  "  I  said  in  my  heart,  can  these  be  the  Ngoni  submitting 
to  God,  the  Ngoni  who  used  to  murder  us,  the  Ngoni  who 
killed  the  Henga,  the  Bisa,  and  other  tribes?  As  I  saw  men 
with  scars  of  spears,  clubs,  and  bullets  on  them,  I  marvelled 
exceedingly.  And  then,  at  the  Lord's  table,  to  see  these  people 
sitting  there  in  the  still  quiet  of  God's  presence,  my  heart  was 
full  of  wonder  at  the  great  things  God  had  done." 

If  the  reader  has  any  doubts  as  to  the  value  of  such  statements, 
let  him  consult  the  Reports  sent  to  the  Foreign  office  by  Sir  H. 


PEACE  AND  GOODWILL  243 

H.  Johnston,  the  British  Commissioner.  In  his  1894  Report 
he  declares  that  the  total  extirpation  of  the  Tonga  tribe  has 
been  prevented  by  the  Livingstonia  missionaries.  Here  are  his 
own  words :  "  But  for  the  intervention  of  the  Livingstonia 
missionaries  who  settled  in  their  midst  in  1876,  the  Tonga 
would  have  been  almost  wiped  out  of  existence  by  the  raids  of 
the  Ngoni.  ...  By  the  judicious  payment  of  a  small  tribute  to 
the  Ngoni  chief,  and  friendly  remonstrances,  the  missionaries, 
to  a  great  extent,  stayed  the  advance  of  the  Ngoni  towards  the 
Lake  shore,  and  thus  safeguarded  the  existence  of  the  Tonga, 
until  now,  at  the  present  day,  it  is  possible  that  the  Tonga 
would  be  able  to  render  a  very  good  account  of  themselves  if 
they  were  hard  pressed  by  the  Ngoni.  In  return  for  this  the 
Tonga  have  peculiarly  identified  themselves  with  the  white  men's 
interests." 

These  Ngoni  have  not  only  become  friendly  to  the  Tonga, 
but  to  all  the  other  tribes  whom  they  once  sought  to  slay  in 
these  Lake  valleys.  At  the  Livingstonia  Institution  they  may  be 
seen  working  peacefully  side  by  side  with  the  Poka  and  other 
people  whom  they  once  drove  into  mountain  fastnesses,  and  whose 
brothers  and  fathers  they  killed  in  their  cruel  raids.  Their  hands, 
once  red  with  blood,  are  now  extended  in  friendship  to  members 
of  every  tribe  in  Nyasaland.  What  could  have  done  these  things 
but  the  gospel  of  Christ  ?  What  could  work  such  a  mighty 
transformation  in  a  few  years  but  the  teaching  of  Him  who  said, 
"  Love  your  enemies,  do  good  to  them  which  hate  you,  bless 
them  that  curse  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully  use 
you?  And  as  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  also 
to  them  likewise." 

We  have  referred  to  Ngoniland.  Let  us  now  take  some  cases 
from  the  Lake  shore. 

Long  before  the  Mission  was  removed  to  Bandawe,  when  there 
was  only  a  small  station  in  the  neighbourhood,  at  Marenga's, 
with  Archibald  C.  Miller  as  the  only  white  man,  some  of  the 
chiefs  were  in  the  habit  of  taking  their  quarrels  to  him,  and  he 
generally  succeeded  in  preventing  any  outbreak.  One  day  two 
chiefs,  each  followed  by  about  three  hundred  armed  men,  met  to 
urge  some  dispute.  A  few  angry  words  from  one  side  lit  the  tinder, 
and  before  Mr  Miller  was  aware,  arrows  were  flying  and  blows 
were  exchanged.  Mr  Miller  and  his  men,  rushing  at  the  com- 


«44  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

batants,  began  to  knock  aside  their  shields  and  spears,  and 
succeeded  in  disarming  about  thirty  of  them.  Dr  Laws 
happened  to  arrive  next  day,  and  was  able  to  settle  the  matter 
satisfactorily — an  instance  of  how  ready  the  natives  were  to 
accept  missionary  advice  in  such  matters. 

In  February  1886,  there  began  among  the  Tonga  chiefs  one  of 
the  bloodiest  wars  that  had  ever  been  seen  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Mission.  It  seems  that  the  two  chiefs  Marenga  and 
Chikuru  revived  an  old  slave  quarrel  of  many  years'  standing,  and 
resolved  to  fight  it  out.  Soon  every  chief  in  the  neighbourhood 
had  taken  part  in  the  matter,  and  within  two  days  the  whole 
Tonga  tribe  was  in  arms.  For  a  short  time  a  kind  of  guerilla 
warfare  was  carried  on,  in  which  they  killed  one  another  with  flint- 
lock guns,  and  stabbed  or  hacked  one  another  frightfully  with  spears. 
But  the  matter  speedily  ended  in  a  pitched  battle.  A  Livingstonia 
missionary,  who  was  summoned  to  the  battle-field,  gives  a  graphic 
account  of  the  feud  and  of  the  bloody  work  that  followed.  What 
might  have  been  the  result  had  he  not  succeeded  in  stopping  the 
battle,  our  readers  may  imagine.  "We  had  great  difficulty,"  he 
wrote,  "  in  keeping  out  of  the  quarrel ;  indeed,  it  seemed  almost 
impossible.  During  the  first  day  Marenga  suffered  very  much, 
and  that  evening,  late  at  night,  he  came  to  us  begging  assistance. 
Was  he  not  our  friend  ?  Had  he  not  built  us  a  school  ?  Did  he 
not  sign  the  Kalata  treaty,  in  which  we  offered  to  help  him  against 
his  enemies  ?  He  asserted  one  cause  of  the  war  was  the  fact  that 
he  was  despised  by  the  other  chiefs  for  being  so  friendly  with  the 
white  man,  going  to  the  service  every  Sabbath,  etc.  As  a  last 
resort  he  begged  a  little  powder,  and  again  had  to  be  refused. 
He  left  us  that  night  in  anger,  saying  he  had  all  along  been  the 
friend  of  the  white  man,  but  now  the  white  man  had  cast  him 
off. 

"  On  the  third  morning  of  the  war  thirty-two  armed  men  belong- 
ing to  Chigo,  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  Tonga  chiefs,  and  belong- 
ing to  Chintechi,  called  at  the  Mission,  saying  their  chief  had  had 
his  arm  broken  by  a  bullet,  and  wished  medicine.  After  carefully 
considering  the  matter,  we  both  agreed  to  go  and  see  the  wounded 
chief.  It  was  to  some  extent  a  risk,  as  the  way  led  right  through 
the  battle-field.  We  went,  however,  believing  it  to  be  a  call  from 
God.  The  bush  on  every  hand  seemed  to  us  crowded  with  men. 
Every  tree  and  shrub  hid  a  black  armed  warrior.  We  found  the 


PEACE  AND  GOODWILL  245 

chief  lying  in  a  grass  hut  surrounded  by  his  men,  who  supported 
the  disabled  limb.  After  examining  the  arm,  we  dressed  it  and 
bound  it  up  with  splints.  Of  course  we  lectured  them  on  the 
foolishness  of  quarrelling  among  themselves,  and  cutting  and  killing 
one  another  like  wild  beasts. 

"  On  the  way  back  a  messenger  called  us  to  the  opposite  camp, 
and  of  course  we  had  to  go.  All  the  wounded  were  brought 
forward  that  we  might  give  directions.  What  a  sight  they  pre- 
sented !  Arms  and  legs  broken,  great  ugly  gashes  and  assegai 
wounds.  It  was  the  most  ghastly  sight  I  ever  saw.  We  were 
then  surrounded  by  three  or  four  hundred  armed  men,  and  had  a 
conference  with  them  for  upwards  of  an  hour.  At  last  we  got  them 
to  agree  to  peace,  and  immediately  sent  a  messenger  to  the  opposite 
camp.  I  am  glad  to  say  that  in  God's  good  providence  we  were  the 
means  of  staying  the  bloody  affair." 

Over  and  over  again  events  of  a  similar  nature  happened  around 
Bandawe",  peace  being  always  brought  about  through  the  influence 
of  the  Mission.  The  missionaries  even  intervened  on  behalf  of 
Arabs  who  had  no  friendly  feelings  towards  them,  but  rather  the 
opposite.  In  1885,  Jumbd,  the  great  Arab  Sultan  at  Kotakota, 
declared  war  against  Chintechi  to  the  north  of  Bandawe,  and  set 
out  to  prosecute  it.  He  had  an  army  of  over  a  thousand  men, 
armed  with  guns,  and  had  women  and  children  with  him  to  occupy 
the  place.  He,  however,  had  to  take  refuge  at  Bandawe  Mission 
Station,  and  ask  the  aid  of  the  missionaries  to  convoy  him  away 
back  safely.  A  white  man  was  his  protector  on  the  way  till  he  and 
his  army  were  past  all  the  Tonga  villages.  Had  it  not  been  for 
help  thus  received  from  the  Bandawe  staff,  he  and  his  army  would 
have  perished. 

From  the  north  end  of  the  Lake,  where  Dr  Kerr  Cross  and  Mr 
Bain  were,  many  interesting  cases  might  be  cited.  When  Dr 
Cross  opened  a  Station  at  Wundali  one  of  the  first  things  that 
fell  to  him  was  to  settle  a  war  that  had  lingered  on  for  months 
between  the  two  chiefs  of  the  country.  "We  called  on  both 
chiefs,"  he  wrote,  "  spoke  to  them  privately,  and  then  had  a 
free  discussion  of  the  points  of  difference.  The  one  blamed 
the  other  for  keeping  back  the  rain,  for  catching  women,  stealing 
cattle,  and  killing  certain  men.  After  much  talk  and  manifesta- 
tion of  feeling,  we  were  successful  in  bringing  the  protracted 
fight  to  a  close.  An  ox  was  killed,  and,  as  their  custom  is, 


246  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

equally  divided  among  the  contending  parties.  Thus  our  in- 
fluence was  established." 

In  the  annals  of  the  Livlezi  Station  we  find  abundant  instances 
of  a  similar  kind.  The  overland  road  to  Blantyre  ran  past  this 
Station,  and  was  much  traversed.  Numerous  bodies  of  people 
passed  and  repassed,  especially  during  the  dry  season.  They  were, 
for  the  most  part,  quiet  and  peaceable  travellers,  either  on  the  way 
to  visit  their  friends,  or  carrying  produce  for  the  markets.  But 
several  times  travellers  of  a  far  less  desirable  type  passed  along, 
men  armed  with  spears  and  shields,  or  bows  and  arrows,  who  were 
bent  on  some  marauding  expedition.  When  Dr  Henry  first  went 
to  the  district  he  would  often  hear  afterwards,  in  cases  of  this 
kind,  of  defenceless  villages  having  been  attacked,  plundered 
and  burned,  and  of  numbers  of  people  having  been  cruelly 
butchered.  This  was  something  that  happened,  not  once  a 
year,  but  often  two  or  three  times  a  month.  But  he  had  not 
been  long  there  before  his  influence  in  such  matters  began  to 
be  felt.  Not  only  did  he  manage  to  prevent  any  attacks  upon 
those  villages  nearest  to  the  Mission  Station,  but  he  ultimately 
brought  many  of  these  savage  individuals  to  see  the  error  of 
their  ways. 

From  the  Mvera  Station  also  we  might  cull  stories  of  bloody 
encounters  between  tribes,  and  of  the  successful  interference  of 
the  missionaries  there.  "  We  have  only  just  succeeded,"  Mr 
Murray  wrote  in  1891,  "in  again  establishing  communication  with 
the  Lake,  after  being  cut  off  from  the  outside  world  for  two  months 
by  war."  On  this  occasion  the  notorious  Arab  chief,  Makanjira, 
from  the  east  side  of  the  Lake,  had  sailed  across  with  an  army, 
and  attacked  the  chiefs  who  lived  near  the  landing-place  for 
Mr  Murray's  goods  and  mails,  not  only  destroying  their  villages, 
but  seizing  a  large  number  of  slaves.  In  spite  of  it  being  the 
rainy  season,  Mr  Murray  ventured  down  to  the  Lake  to  settle 
the  differences  between  the  parties,  and  was  successful  in  bringing 
the  war  to  an  end,  and  establishing  peace  throughout  the  whole 
district. 

Apart  from  all  such  cases  as  the  writer  has  referred  to,  let  us 
not  overlook  the  fact  that  Britain  owes  the  peaceful  acquisition  of 
all  the  Nyasaland  territory  to  our  Livingstonia  missionaries  and 
Christian  traders.  There  was  no  need  of  maxim  guns,  or  cavalry 
charges,  or  a  work  of  subjugation,  such  as  Mr  Cecil  Rhodes 


PEACE  AND  GOODWILL  247 

required  in  the  case  of  the  Matabele.  Our  missionaries  won  over 
the  land.  They  pioneered  the  way  for  a  British  Protectorate. 
The  writer  does  not  mean  that  they  used  their  powers  to  serve 
political  purposes.  From  all  such  politics,  both  at  home  and  in 
Africa,  they  kept  themselves  free.  But  he  means  that  by  the  free 
proclamation  of  the  Gospel  and  their  peaceful  policy,  they 
gradually,  and  indeed  unconsciously,  paved  the  way  for  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  land  by  Britain.  No  others  did  it,  no  others 
could  have  done  it  in  such  an  effective  way.  If  the  British 
Government  had  attempted  to  take  possession  before  the  entrance 
of  our  missionaries,  a  series  of  bloody  wars,  like  those  in  Matabele- 
land,  would  have  been  unavoidable.  But  through  these  am- 
bassadors of  peace  she  threw  her  mantle  over  a  territory  about 
the  size  of  France,  without  any  real  opposition.  The  only  natives 
with  whom  it  was  necessary  to  fight  were  the  Yaos  to  the  east  and 
south-east  of  the  Lake,  who  were  untouched  by  Mission  influence, 
the  brutal  Arab  slavers  in  North  Nyasa,  and  certain  small  sections 
of  the  Ngoni  Zulus  in  the  west,  including  Chikusi,  Mpeseni,  and 
Mwasi,  who  were  all  persevering  slave-raiders.  In  not  one  single 
instance  has  it  ever  been  necessary  to  take  warlike  proceedings 
against  the  many  powerful  tribes  influenced  by  the  mission- 
aries. On  the  other  hand,  these  tribes  have  readily  offered  their 
services  in  the  support  of  the  Administration,  and  have  gallantly 
stood  by  the  white  men  in  their  efforts  against  slavery  and 
anarchy. 

So  far  we  have  described  the  peaceful  procedure  adopted  by 
the  missionaries.  But  this  is  not  all.  They  manifested  a  spirit 
of  goodivill  to  the  natives,  showing  them  every  kindness  and 
courtesy,  although  at  the  same  time  acting  firmly  and  decidedly 
with  them  when  necessary.  In  this  matter  they  took  a  lesson 
from  the  noble  life  of  David  Livingstone,  whose  name  will  ever 
be  remembered  with  deep  affection  in  Central  Africa,  because  of 
the  kindness  of  his  heart.  The  natives  did  not  know  his 
language,  but  they  felt  the  love  that  radiated  from  him,  and  for 
this  the  children  of  Africa  will  never  forget  him.  So  these 
followers  of  Livingstone  at  Lake  Nyasa  have  endeavoured  to  carry 
out  the  same  Christian  principle. 

They  had  many  opportunities  of  doing  this — for  instance,  when 
chiefs  and  others  visited  the  stations.  Not  long  after  the  Mission 
was  settled  at  Cape  Maclear,  a  distant  chief,  with  a  strong  retinue, 


248  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTQNIA 

arrived  on  a  visit.  He  -was  courteously  received  and  shown  over 
the  Station.  He  was  quite  bewildered,  of  course,  with  the  various 
tools  and  implements,  the  workshop,  and  the  medicine  room. 
He  drove  the  grindstone  with  the  greatest  zest,  and  ran  about 
with  the  hand-cart  in  a  lively  manner,  ultimately  finding  vent  for 
his  feelings  in  the  remark — "  Ah !  why  do  I  wonder,  are  not 
these  the  great  English?"  After  receiving  a  small  present,  he 
took  his  departure,  highly  delighted  at  the  civility  and  kindness 
experienced.  In  such  a  way  chiefs  with  their  followers  have  often 
visited  the  Mission  to  satisfy  themselves  as  to  the  friendly  nature 
of  it,  being  always  hospitably  entertained  and  kindly  treated, 
with  the  result  that  they  have  gone  home  convinced  of  the  good- 
will of  these  white  men  and  their  friendly  intentions  in  the 
district. 

To  exercise  goodwill  is  not  always  an  easy  matter.  It  implies 
a  good  deal  of  patience,  forbearance,  and  meekness.  This  is  so 
in  our  own  civilised  country,  but  it  is  much  more  so  around  Nyasa, 
where  the  missionaries  are  placed  in  peculiarly  trying  circum- 
stances. They  have  to  deal  with  a  confused  and  almost  un- 
manageable mass  of  fierce,  savage  human  life,  full  of  barbarous 
impulses,  wild  passions  and  implacable  animosities.  Often  they 
have  had  to  guard  themselves  firmly  against  the  selfish  and  over- 
reaching propensities  of  some  of  the  natives.  Often  they  have 
been  laid  under  the  necessity  of  reproving,  in  a  decided  manner, 
the  abounding  evils  of  the  district — a  duty  from  which  no  true 
missionary  has  ever  sought  to  escape.  But  anyone  who  has 
closely  followed  the  history  of  the  Livingstonia  Mission  cannot 
but  observe  how  kindly,  patiently,  and  forbearingly  these  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Christian  Church  have  acted.  Even  when  war 
has  been  proclaimed  against  them  by  some  neighbouring  chief, 
they  have  gone  straight  to  the  aggressor,  courageously  and  peace- 
fully, as  if  nothing  had  happened,  thereby  disarming  all  opposition 
in  the  strength  of  Heaven. 

One  case  may  be  mentioned  out  of  multitudes.  In  last  chapter 
the  writer  stated  that  in  1882  nineteen  of  Mr  Stewart's  porters 
were  cruelly  put  to  death  near  the  north  end  of  the  Lake.  In 
1885  Rev.  J.  A.  Bain  resolved  to  visit  the  authors  of  this  terrible 
massacre — the  Buntali  people — with  the  view  of  removing  any 
misapprehensions  they  might  have,  and  endeavouring  to  restore 


PEACE  AND  GOODWILL  249 

friendly  relations.  How  he  dealt  with  Nymberi,  their  most  im- 
portant chief,  is  described  in  the  following  quotation  from  his 
diary : 

"We  left  at  sunrise  and  got  to  Nymberi's  before  noon.  We 
took  with  us  a  man  whom  we  found  by  the  way  to  lead  us  to 
Nymberi's.  He  seemed  doubtful  whether  to  refuse  to  go  or  to 
go  was  the  more  dangerous.  When  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
of  Nymberi's  house,  I  sent  my  man  with  our  guides  to  tell 
Nymberi  I  had  come  and  wished  to  see  him.  He  refused  at 
first,  but  came.  They  laid  down  their  spears,  seeing  I  was 
unarmed.  I  went  forward  and  spoke  to  Nymberi,  told  him  that 
he  had  done  wrong,  but  white  men  could  forget  a  wrong — that  I 
was  willing  to  be  his  friend.  Poor  fellow  !  He  was  much  afraid, 
lay  down,  and  clapped  his  hands.  I  gave  him  a  present,  and  he 
asked  me  to  come  with  him  to  his  house,  as  he  wished  to  give  me 
food.  This  we  did,  and  soon  were  very  friendly.  The  men  were 
impatient  to  be  off,  and  were  very  averse  to  remain  at  or  even  to 
go  to  his  village.  They  asked  me,  should  they  take  up  their 
loads?  Nymberi  asked  if  I  was  going  to  leave  him  so  soon — 
would  I  not  remain  with  him.  I  said  I  would ;  he  was  my  friend, 
I  would  sleep  with  him.  All  afternoon  he  stayed  with  me  in  my 
tent  and  brought  his  men  to  see  me.  Next  morning  Nymberi 
went  nearly  a  mile  with  me.  I  told  him  that  I  had  shown  him 
that  I  had  nothing  in  my  heart  against  him,  and  I  had  proved  it 
by  sleeping  in  his  village,  and  he  must  show  me  he  had  nothing 
in  his  heart  by  coming  to  see  me  and  sleep  at  my  village  (sic). 
Three  days  later  he,  and  perhaps  thirty  people,  came  to  see  me. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Masewa,  another  chief,  who  brought  a 
big  ox.  True  to  our  agreement,  he  slept  all  night  and  left  next 
day." 

The  missionaries  generally  reaped  the  full  benefit  of  such 
actions,  as  the  case  just  cited  goes  to  show.  Sometimes,  it  is 
true,  there  was  little  gratitude  on  the  part  of  the  people,  and 
occasionally,  indeed,  very  ungrateful  conduct,  bringing  sadness 
and  disappointment.  But  is  this  not  the  same  all  the  world 
over,  among  civilised  and  heathen  alike?  Who  that  labours 
among  human  beings,  even  in  Scotland,  has  not  often  felt 
wearied  with  the  persistent  ingratitude  of  some?  Yet  there  are 
many  to  whom  kindness  is  never  lost,  and  who  amply  compensate 
for  the  rest.  So  did  the  missionaries  find  it  in  Nyasaland.  Some 


250  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

cases  there  were  to  sadden,  but  many  more  to  encourage  and  cheer 
them  in  their  labour  of  love.  Often,  when  visiting  villages,  they 
received  a  most  cordial  welcome  from  those  to  whom  they  had 
showed  help  or  Christian  treatment,  and  at  times  incidents  occurred 
which  proved  that  such  treatment  was  not  forgotten  and  never 
would  be. 


CHAPTER  XV 

AFRICA'S  EVILS 

IN  addition  to  slavery  and  war  there  were  a  multitude  of  other 
evils,  standing  like  grim  barriers  before  the  missionaries,  opposing 
their  labours  for  Christ,  and  requiring  to  be  overthrown  before  the 
religion  of  Christ  could  take  possession  of  the  country.  A  Mission 
like  this,  to  the  wilderness  of  heathenism,  required  morally  and 
spiritually  what  a  settlement  in  some  wild,  unreclaimed  tract  of 
country  requires  physically.  In  the  latter  case,  there  are  gigantic 
growths  of  centuries,  of  all  shapes  and  forms,  which  must  be  felled 
to  the  ground,  foul  or  pestilential  marshes  which  must  be  drained 
or  trenched,  ugly  uncultivated  wastes  which  must  be  ploughed  or 
harrowed  before  much  fruit  can  be  reaped.  So  in  missionary 
pioneering,  and  Nyasaland  was  no  exception.  When  the  Mission 
band  first  went,  there  were  evils  of  great  magnitude,  as  dark  and 
horrible  as  those  once  existing  in  Polynesia,  Satanic  ordeals, 
deceptions  of  witchcraft,  hideous  cruelty,  senseless  and  inhuman 
customs,  brutal  and  bloody  superstitions,  which  harrowed  their 
souls  and  which  they  plainly  saw  would  require  to  be  stamped  out 
before  this  dark  place  of  the  earth  could  be  reclaimed. 

But  they  set  to  work  in  the  power  of  the  Gospel — certainly  the 
best  weapon  that  they  could  have.  Twenty  centuries  ago  Britain 
was  as  low  as  Central  Africa  when  first  these  missionaries  steamed 
up  the  Zambesi.  Wild,  warring,  brutal  savages  waded  in  the  fens 
of  Lincolnshire.  They  observed  bloody  rites  and  sacrificed  human 
beings  among  the  rocks  of  Scotland  and  Wales.  But  they  became 
transformed  through  the  power  of  Christ  as  manifested  in  the 
Gospel.  In  the  same  way,  what  could  Christianity  not  do  in 
Nyasaland  ? 

Superstition  and  sorcery  were  undoubtedly  the  greatest  evils  in 
the  way  of  the  Gospel.  It  must  be  remembered  that  all  kinds  of 
polydemonistic  ideas  hold  sway  in  Central  Africa,  the  only  religion 
being  the  fear  of  evil  spirits.  In  the  opinion  of  the  natives  the 


252  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

influence  of  these  spirits  is  well  nigh  omnipotent.  To  the  east  of 
Cape  Maclear  the  natives  pointed  to  a  large  rock  rising  out  of  the 
water,  which  they  considered  to  be  the  abode  of  spirits.  When 
passing  it  in  their  canoes  they  used  to  scatter  flour  on  the  water 
as  an  offering  to  ensure  their  safety,  believing  that  if  they  did  not 
do  so  the  spirits  would  upset  their  canoe  and  drown  them.  They 
also  pointed  to  other  spots  regarding  which  they  entertained  the 
same  superstitious  notions.  Evil  spirits,  indeed,  were  everywhere, 
occupying  the  earth,  the  air,  and  the  water.  At  North  Nyasa,  a 
great  evil  spirit,  Mbase,  was  supposed  to  dwell  in  a  cave  in  the 
side  of  Mount  Ikombwe,  and  was  constantly  worshipped  and 
propitiated.  When  Dr  Cross  visited  the  cave,  it  was  nearly 
blocked  up  with  old  broken  pots  and  rotten  calico,  which  had 
been  deposited  as  offerings  for  hundreds  of  years. 

These  spirits,  unless  propitiated,  were  continually  doing  harm. 
As  they  were  supposed  to  have  immense  power  for  evil,  they  were 
the  daily  terror  of  the  poor  natives.  If  a  man  fell  ill,  he  believed 
himself  to  be  in  the  power  of  some  evil-disposed  witch  or  wizard 
who  had  doomed  him  to  death  by  secret  spells.  He  appealed  to 
the  witch-finder — generally  a  woman — who  would  go  through 
various  incantations  and  absurdities,  accompanied  usually  by  frantic 
gesticulation  and  even  self-induced  convulsions.  If  recovery 
followed,  all  was  well ;  but  if  not,  death  was  considered  to  be  due 
to  some  obstinate  witch  or  wizard,  Mfiti.  So  with  every  misfortune 
— it  was  the  result  of  evil  influence.  If  some  valuable  ox  died, 
or  if  a  defeat  took  place  in  battle,  it  was  traced  to  some  mysterious 
occult  agency.  If  a  wife  ran  away,  it  was  put  down  to  the  powerful 
"witchery"  used  against  her.  Poor  deluded  Africans  !  Such  was 
their  savage,  darkened  life :  a  continual  dread  of  evil,  either  real, 
like  their  enemies,  the  fierce  Ngoni,  roaming  around  their  quiet 
villages,  or  else  in  the  form  of  spirits  or  indignant  ancestors, 
jealous  of  the  observances  of  rites,  and  ever  ready  to  avenge 
neglect  by  sending  war  and  famine,  or  in  other  ways  bewitching, 
smiting,  killing. 

The  natives  had  recourse  to  sorcery,  magic,  and  other  super- 
stitious practices,  in  order  to  appease  these  evil  spirits  or  drive 
them  away.  Among  other  things  they  had  the  most  implicit 
belief  in  the  power  of  charms  against  every  ailment  and  accident, 
against  wounds  and  snake  bites,  against  illness  or  drowning.  A 
man  once  came  to  Dr  Cross  asking  a  charm  against  being  killed 


AFRICA'S  EVILS  253 

in  hunting.  He  was  told  that  a  brave  heart  was  the  most 
necessary  thing.  He  seemed  disappointed,  and  asked  what 
bravery  would  do  for  him  when  chased  by  an  elephant  ?  Seeing 
a  Free  Church  Monthly  lying  near,  he  asked  for  it,  and,  rolling  it 
up,  wore  it  round  his  neck  with  a  string ;  afterwards  he  told  his 
friends  of  the  undoubted  effect  of  the  white  man's  charm !  But 
sometimes  weird  and  awful  charms  were  carried.  Portions  would 
be  cut  from  some  body,  and  then  burned  to  ashes.  These  would 
be  rubbed  into  the  arm  as  tattoos,  or  stirred  among  the  food  and 
eaten.  One  headman  near  Blantyre,  who  had  been  very  success- 
ful in  war,  attributed  the  fact  to  his  having  eaten  in  this  way  "  the 
whole  body  of  a  strong  young  man."* 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  horrible  things  was  the  Muavi  poison 
ordeal,  which  caused  great  social  havoc  and  innumerable  deaths. 
The  drinking  of  this  rank  poison  was  supposed  to  be  the  test  of 
peoples'  innocence  or  guilt.  If  they  vomited  up  this  wretched 
stuff,  they  were  innocent;  if  they  failed  to  do  so,  they  died 
through  its  effects,  and  were  thus  considered  guilty.  Occasionally, 
in  small  offences,  the  poison  was  given  to  a  fowl,  or  some  other 
animal  representing  the  accused.  This  was  administering  the 
ordeal  by  proxy,  and  was  undoubtedly  more  humane.  But,  as  a 
general  rule,  the  suspected  individuals  themselves  had  to  drink  it. 
In  this  way  thousands  in  Nyasaland,  as  elsewhere  in  Africa,  were 
cruelly  brought  to  premature  death.  The  bodies  of  all  who  died 
were  left  unburied,  as  people  refused  to  inter  them ;  and  they 
were  often  mutilated  in  a  frightful  manner.  The  ordeal  was  one 
of  the  oldest  institutions  in  the  country ;  and  a  sad  point  in  con- 
nection with  it  was  that  the  natives  had  an  unbounded  and  deeply- 
rooted  confidence  in  its  virtues,  seeming  even  to  rejoice  when  any 
one  died  from  its  effects,  under  the  belief  that  a  dangerous  witch 
had  been  removed  from  their  midst.  A  bad  feature  also  was  that 
the  witch-doctor  was  rewarded  for  every  death. 

The  cases  of  Muavi  poisoning,  in  the  history  of  the  Mission, 
are  so  numerous  that  the  writer  can  only  choose  two  or  three  at 
random. 

In    1882,  at  a  village   near  Bandawe",  a  man  who  had  been 

accused  of  some  crime  was  compelled  to  drink  the  poison,  and 

died.     His  corpse  was  then  beaten  and  hacked  to  pieces  with 

clubs  and  axes,  and  was  burned  next  day ;  and  at  the  very  time 

*  "  Africana,"  by  Rev.  Duff  Macdonald,  vol.  i.  p.  170. 


a  54  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

when  this  horrible  scene  was  being  enacted,  the  second  convert 
was  being  baptised  at  the  adjoining  Bandawe  station.  It  was  a 
strange  contrast !  Heaven's  light  and  earth's  weird  darkness  in 
such  close  proximity ! 

In  1887,  we  read  of  an  immense  Muavi  ceremony  in  Chikusi's 
district,  resulting  in  the  death  of  fifty  who  took  the  ordeal,  and 
the  leaving  of  several  who  vomited  the  poison  in  a  dangerous 
condition.  Shortly  afterwards,  in  the  same  district,  Dr  Henry, 
the  missionary  there,  thus  describes  what  he  witnessed.  "  During 
our  stay  we  twice  saw  what  was  probably  the  most  extreme  case  of 
the  disgraceful  custom.  The  chief,  suspecting  some  crime  among 
his  people,  resolved  to  settle  the  matter  by  making  all  the  men 
and  women  of  his  own  and  some  surrounding  villages  drink  Muavi. 
His  plan  was  to  bring  so  many  to  his  village  at  one  time,  and, 
placing  them  in  a  circle,  make  them  drink  the  poison  in  public. 
The  scene  occurred  on  the  meadow  where  our  tent  was  pitched. 
After  the  people  were  assembled,  a  fantastic  figure,  dressed  up  with 
a  head-dress  of  feathers,  danced  about  the  circle  for  a  time.  The 
poison  was  then  beaten  with  a  rude  mortar  and  pestle,  and  being 
put  in  water,  was  drunk  by  the  suspected,  who  came  up  in  twos 
for  this  purpose,  and  then  ran  off  to  vomit  or  die.  This  was  given 
to  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  people  the  first  time  I  saw  it,  and 
to  more  than  a  hundred  the  second  time.  Walking  out  the  day- 
after  one  such  exhibition  of  African  heathenism,  I  saw  a  horrible 
sight — some  dogs  eating  the  unburied  remains  of  a  person  who 
died." 

Again,  when  Chikusi's  mother  died  in  the  end  of  1887,  the 
event  gave  rise  to  another  of  these  horrible  cases  in  which  all  the 
people  were  compelled  to  drink  the  poison.  Great  loss  of  life 
took  place  on  the  hills  around  Chikusi's  village,  while  on  the 
plain  near  the  Livlezi  Station  more  than  twenty  died  from  the 
effects.  One  of  these  was  the  father  of  a  mission  boy,  who,  when 
he  heard  of  it,  poor  little  fellow,  was  much  frightened  and  inclined 
to  run  away  from  the  district.  Similarly,  when  this  great  Ngoni 
chief  himself  died  in  1891,  hundreds  of  people  were  compelled  to 
drink  the  poison  to  show  whether  they  had,  by  witchcraft,  caused 
his  death,  those  who  succumbed  being  thrown  out  to  the  wild 
beasts  to  be  devoured. 

But  over  and  over  again  the  missionaries  interfered  with  the 
administration  of  this  poison.  They  reasoned  with  the  chiefs 


AFRICA'S  EVILS  255 

about  the  sinfulness  and  stupidity  of  the  ordeal ;  and  many  a  time 
they  went  out  to  the  scene  of  action  to  prevent  the  drinking  of  the 
horrible  stuff.  On  one  occasion  at  Cape  Maclear  they  heard  that 
a  chief  seven  miles  distant — named  Nunkumba — had  lost  a  child 
by  death,  and  that  a  Ngoni  doctor  was  dispensing  Muavi  to  the 
people — that  forty  had  already  drunk  of  the  poison,  and  that  two 
had  died.  To  prevent  further  mischief  and  a  recurrence  of  the 
same  act,  they  lost  no  time  in  manning  a  boat  and  three  canoes, 
and  proceeded  at  once  to  the  spot.  The  party  consisted  of  five 
white  men,  with  an  interpreter,  and  upwards  of  a  dozen  natives. 
After  reaching  the  place,  and  passing  through  a  perfect  network  of 
palisades,  they  found  themselves  inside  the  harem  enclosure. 
They  called  for  the  chief,  but  learned  that  he  was  convoying  the 
witch-doctor,  who  was  now  on  his  return  journey  carrying  several 
packages  of  native  salt  as  the  reward  of  his  labours.  "A  large 
crowd  gathered  round  us,"  says  Mr  John  Gunn,  "  and  were  eyeing 
us  with  considerable  suspicion.  Among  them  we  could  easily  dis- 
tinguish by  their  shaved  heads,  those  who  had  drunk  the  poison. 
Next  day  Nunkumba  appeared.  Our  charges  were  stated,  and  he 
proceeded  to  defend  himself.  He  did  not  ask  the  people  to  drink 
Muavi)  he  said ;  they  took  it  of  their  own  accord.  If  the  people 
died,  he  did  not  kill  them.  When  told  that  the  English  did  not 
take  it,  he  said  the  English  had  other  ways  of  finding  out  things ; 
but  this  was  their  way  for  long  ages  past,  and  it  wrought  well. 
We  told  him  that  God  made  man  and  took  him  away  when  He 
pleased."  After  a  discussion  that  lasted  for  three  hours,  and 
showed  how  deeply  superstition  was  rooted  in  the  land,  he 
promised  never  again  to  allow  Muavi  to  be  given  to  his  people. 
This  was  a  victory  worth  all  the  trouble  taken,  as  Nunkumba  was  a 
man  whose  superstition  knew  no  limit.  He  dared  not  look  to 
the  hills  behind  Cape  Maclear  for  fear  he  should  die,  his  father 
having  died  suddenly  on  looking  at  them  ! 

If  the  missionaries  failed  to  prevent  the  administration  of  this 
terrible  poison,  they  endeavoured  to  empty  the  stomachs  of  those 
who  had  drunk  it.  Arming  themselves  with  a  strong  emetic  and 
a  basin  for  water,  they  started  at  once  for  the  spot  where  the 
drinking  had  taken  place.  Here  they  would  sometimes  find 
hundreds  of  all  ages  lying  or  sitting  among  the  bushes.  A  few, 
perhaps,  had  thrown  up  the  poison  and  were  on  the  way  to 
recovery,  but  the  larger  number  would  be  found  lying  in  various 


256  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

stages  of  weakness,  and  some  very  near  death.  The  missionaries 
would  set  to  work  immediately  and  administer  the  required 
medicine,  with  the  result  that  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  patients 
would  recover. 

On  one  occasion,  in  1892,  when  Dr  Henry,  of  Livlezi,  received 
word  at  night  that  a  sing'anga  (witch-doctor)  was  administering  the 
poison  to  the  village  of  Madunga  near  his  Station,  and  was  likely 
to  continue  his  infernal  work  next  day,  he  hurried  away  early  the 
next  morning  to  the  scene  of  the  action,  to  find  that  everybody 
round  about,  men,  women,  and  children  above  nine  or  ten  years 
old — many  of  the  school  children  among  them — had  swallowed 
the  poison,  and  that  only  a  few  from  a  distance  remained  for  that 
day's  drinking.  Seven  were  found  to  be  dead — cast  out  to  the 
wild  beasts — including  an  old  white-haired  man  and  wife,  and  the 
headman  of  the  district.  With  commendable  courage,  Dr  Henry 
seized  the  "officials"  who  were  superintending  the  ceremony. 
The  witch-doctor  fled,  but  Dr  Henry  captured  all  his  poison  and 
apparatus,  consisting  of  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  dry  Muavi, 
a  measure,  two  large  gourd  cups  for  its  administration,  and  the 
death-gong  and  striker.  Afterwards  he  let  the  "  officials  "  go,  but 
sent  a  warning  message  to  the  responsible  party  that  such  a  thing 
would  not  need  to  occur  again,  and  he  managed  to  inspire  the 
villagers  with  the  courage  necessary  to  bury  the  victims. 

It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  thousands  of  lives  have  been 
saved  in  this  way  by  the  action  of  the  missionaries,  and  a  great 
deal  has  been  done  towards  the  abolition  of  this  deadly  custom. 
Faith  in  its  efficacy  is  now  completely  broken  down  in  all  the 
Mission  districts;  and  as  the  British  Administration  has  also 
taken  stringent  action  in  such  matters,  the  ordeal  may  be  said 
to  have  ceased  out  of  the  land. 

Another  great  horror  that  existed  among  some  sections  of  the 
Lake  tribes  was  that  of  burying  people  along  with  the  chief  when 
he  died.  A  chief  never  died  alone,  but  required  a  company  of 
his  people  with  him.  Otherwise,  according  to  the  native  mind, 
what  would  come  over  him  in  the  spirit  world,  with  no  one  to 
help  him  ?  This  barbarous  custom  sometimes  varied,  but  as  a 
rule,  when  a  chief  was  about  to  die,  some  of  his  attendants  left 
him  and  walked  to  the  door.  If  any  of  his  slaves  were  sitting 
outside,  they  were  told  that  their  master  was  better,  that  he  would 
soon  be  well ;  but  suddenly  a  capture  began,  and  three  or  four 


AFRICA'S  EVILS  257 

of  them  were  made  fast  in  the  gori.  Shortly  afterwards  they  were 
brutally  killed,  and  their  bodies  placed  on  the  top  of  the  hut  in 
which  the  dying  chief  lay.  Then,  on  his  death,  a  great  pit  or 
grave  was  dug,  and  these  bodies  were  put  at  the  bottom  of  it. 
Many  others  were  then  killed — in  some  cases  upwards  of  a 
hundred — and  also  put  in  till  the  bottom  was  covered  with  bodies. 
Handkerchiefs  and  coloured  cloths  were  then  spread  over  them  all, 
and  on  these  the  body  of  the  chief  was  laid. 

This  was  an  exceedingly  horrible  custom,  and  was  common  not 
only  among  some  Tonga  tribes,  but  over  the  most  of  heathen 
Africa.  When  Marenga,  near  Bandawe,  died,  over  one  hundred 
were  put  to  death  in  this  way,  in  order  that  they  might  escort  him 
to  the  next  world.  "We  heard  to-day,"  wrote  Dr  Laws,  in  1883, 
"that  a  chief  beyond  Chintechi  is  dead,  and  that  forty  of  his 
slaves  have  been  killed,  to  be  buried  along  with  him." 

This  terrible  custom,  we  are  thankful  to  say,  rapidly  vanished 
in  the  Mission  districts.  It  is  something  to  read  in  the  Mission 
Journal,  as  early  as  1884,  such  a  sentence  as  this,  "The  friends 
of  the  late  chief  Katonga  came  in  and  told  us  they  had  done  as 
we  requested  them,  and  put  in  no  bodies  with  the  chief." 

Among  other  barbarous  practices,  it  was  customary  in  some 
places,  when  a  chief  died,  for  the  nearest  relative  to  come  with  his 
armies  and  fight  the  tribe  of  the  deceased  chief.  When  Mtwaro, 
chief  of  a  section  of  the  Ngoni,  died,  in  1890,  his  brother 
Mombera  should  have  done  this  according  to  custom.  It  had 
long  been  expected  by  the  missionaries  that,  on  the  chief's  death, 
such  a  war  would  break  out,  and,  knowing  the  effect  that  this 
would  have  on  their  work,  they  were  naturally  very  anxious.  But 
Mtwaro  prevented  the  occurrence  of  any  such  thing  by  sending 
a  special  message  to  his  brother  just  before  he  died,  asking  him 
not  to  come  with  war  and  destroy  all  the  people.  This  was  the 
direct  result  of  Christianity.  Mtwaro  had  come  under  the 
influence  of  the  Mission,  and  had  often  listened  to  the  Gospel. 

Such  cruel  practices  as  the  writer  has  referred  to,  and  similar 
superstitions,  were  terrible  barriers  in  the  way  of  missionary 
enterprise.  It  is  well  known  that  superstitious  ideas  have  some- 
times brought  missionaries  into  dire  peril,  leading  in  some  cases 
to  death  itself.  So  was  it  also  to  some  extent  in  Nyasaland. 
Our  missionaries  there  had  the  superstitious  dread  of  many  people 
to  contend  against,  and  although  their  lives  were  never  threatened 

R 


258  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

on  account  of  this,  they  found  it  to  be  an  immense  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  missionary  progress.  Once  or  twice  the  natives  flocked 
in  hundreds  to  the  service  at  Bandawe  after  deliverance  from 
warlike  attacks,  believing  that  the  white  men  had  saved  them  by 
some  powerful  medicinal  charm  !  But  more  often,  perhaps,  their 
superstitions  led  them  in  the  opposite  direction,  filling  them  with 
a  mysterious  dread  of  the  white  man.  Spirit,  as  well  as  matter, 
seems  to  have  its  inertia,  or  love  of  rest,  and  tends  like  every 
heavy  body  to  retain  its  original  position ;  whilst  whatever  would 
disturb  that  condition  is  readily  resolved  into  the  miraculous  and 
mysterious.  It  was  so  when  printing  was  first  invented :  it 
appeared  to  our  forefathers  as  a  piece  of  monstrous  magic.  So 
amongst  these  ignorant,  deluded  Africans,  the  powers  of  the  white 
man,  real  or  imaginary,  raised  strange  feelings  within  them, 
developing  occasionally  into  fear  and  terror.  In  1885,  for 
instance,  a  native  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bandawe  died,  and 
his  father  charged  the  missionaries  with  bewitching  him,  as  the 
deceased  had  once  stolen  some  calico  from  the  Mission  store. 
He  railed  against  the  missionaries  for  a  long  time,  being  convinced 
that  they  were  dangerous  characters.  In  fact,  this  idea  that  a 
white  man  could  bewitch  and  kill  was  very  prevalent  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Mission,  and  is  far  from  extinct  even  yet  among 
outlying  tribes. 

Such  superstitious  dread  existed  among  many  until  they  came 
to  understand  the  missionaries  better.  Then  many  of  these 
ridiculous  notions  were  undermined.  The  more  enlightened 
people  around  the  Mission  Stations  came  to  see  that  the  white 
man  had  none  of  the  peculiar  powers  often  ascribed  to  him.  His 
actions  were  no  longer  miracles,  nor  his  clothes  and  his  cooking 
utensils  supernatural.  He  was  not  an  omnipotent  being,  who 
carried  charms  in  the  shape  of  pins  or  buttons  or  pieces  of  paper, 
and  who,  if  necessary,  could  deal  out  death  and  destruction.  It 
was  only  at  a  distance  from  the  Missions  that  these  superstitious 
ideas  continued  to  prevail,  as  they  still  do  in  large  tracts  untouched 
by  missionary  influence.  At  the  Stations  themselves  such  ridicu- 
lous notions  began  in  time  to  share  the  fate  of  the  broomstick  of 
the  witch  in  our  own  country  or  the  terrors  of  St  George  and  the 
Dragon.  The  people  were  taught  that  God  alone  was  almighty, 
and  the  ruler  and  dispenser  of  all  things. 

Their  superstitions  extended  to  the  Bible.     No  sooner  was  part 


AFRICA'S  EVILS  259 

of  it  in  print  than  they  regarded  it  with  awe  and  fear,  reminding 
us  somewhat  of  the  medicine-bag  of  the  American  Indian,  or  the 
horse  shoe  of  our  own  country.  They  thought  that  the  mission- 
aries could  read  anything  or  tell  anything  out  of  it.  They  believed 
that  it  contained  prophetic  messages  from  Heaven  as  to  the  coming 
of  rain,  the  existence  of  drought,  the  appearance  of  plagues  in  their 
midst,  and  other  remarkable  events.  It  was,  in  fact,  an  ocult  spell 
— a  combination  of  words,  characters,  or  emblems,  by  which  the 
missionaries  could  foretell  mysterious  and  wonderful  things.  It 
contained  the  words  and  commands  of  the  white  man's  God,  the 
greatest  of  all  Spirits.  A  story  is  told  of  a  wily  native — an  Ngoni 
— who  had  acquired  a  little  knowledge.  Taking  advantage  of  this 
superstitious  credulity  of  his  countrymen,  he  took  his  stand  in  the 
centre  of  a  large  village,  and,  opening  the  Inkalata,  pretended  to 
read  out  of  it,  that  the  people  should  hand  over  to  him  a  large 
amount  of  cloth  and  ivory,  leading  them  to  believe  that  this  was 
a  Heaven-sent  command,  the  neglect  of  which  would  bring  untold 
calamity.  It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  this  view  of  the  Bible 
is  rapidly  disappearing  before  the  light  of  missionary  instruction. 

One  matter  which  often  caused  the  missionaries  great  anxiety 
was  the  rain  question.  In  a  previous  chapter  the  writer  has 
given  an  instance  of  this  in  Ngoniland.  A  sample  may  now  be 
taken  from  Bandawe.  On  one  occasion,  when  war  was  raging 
among  the  Tonga  tribes,  no  rain  had  fallen  for  a  long  time,  and 
all  attributed  the  matter  to  the  missionaries.  They  said  that  the 
white  men,  being  displeased  at  them  for  fighting,  had  prevented 
the  rain  from  falling.  A  great  discussion  arose  on  the  subject. 
"  You  worship  the  rain,"  said  one.  "  Nay,"  said  the  missionary, 
"that  cannot  be."  "Why,"  said  he,  "you  have  a  bottle  in 
front  of  the  house,  and  whenever  it  rains  you  look  at  the  bottle ! 
What  is  that  but  worshipping  the  rain  ?  "  The  missionary  laughed 
at  this  glaring  superstition.  "If  that  is  the  difficulty,"  he  said, 
"we  will  soon  settle  it,"  and  he  immediately  sent  and  had  the 
bottle  smashed.  The  bottle  was  a  rain-gauge,  generally  looked 
at  after  heavy  showers.  The  opportunity  was  used  to  show  the 
people  the  foolishness  of  looking  to  men  and  not  to  God,  who 
alone  could  send  rain;  but  it  took  a  great  deal  to  drive  this 
huge  superstition  out  of  their  minds.  They  thought  nothing  in 
some  parts  of  killing  a  man  because  he  was  hindering  the  rain 
from  falling  on  them. 


z6o  DAYBREAK.  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

In  Ngoniland,  the  worship  by  the  people  of  their  forefathers' 
spirits  (vibanda)  was  perhaps  the  greatest  drawback  to  the  progress 
of  the  Gospel.  These  spirits  were  always  thanked  at  the  time  of 
harvest.  The  people  might  pluck  a  cob  or  two  of  maize  and  eat 
it,  but  none  was  gathered  and  cooked  until  the  ancestral  spirits 
had  been  publicly  thanked.  But  before  long — thanks  to  Dr 
Elmslie — many  of  the  people  lost  faith  in  these  beliefs.  They 
gave  up  sacrificing  cattle  to  departed  spirits,  and  praying  to 
them.  It  continued  to  be  done  by  a  few,  but  more  from  fear 
and  respect  to  custom  than  from  any  real  belief  in  it.  Thanks- 
giving services  to  the  true  God  "  who  gives  rain  from  Heaven 
and  fruitful  seasons"  took  the  place  of  the  native  feasts  and 
praising  of  spirits  at  harvest  time.  So  was  it  also  in  other  regions 
than  Ngoniland.  Before  the  introduction  of  Christianity  it  was 
customary  to  make  offerings  of  first-fruits  in  the  huts  devoted 
to  the  "  shades " ;  but  all  this  has  now  been  greatly  changed, 
and  the  people  look  to  the  true  Giver  and  Withholder. 

In  Ngoniland,  the  witch-doctors,  who  were  the  recognised 
mediums  of  communication  with  the  ancestral  spirits,  were  bitter 
opponents  of  Christianity.  Their  whole  practice  was  a  glaring 
mass  of  deceit.  If  their  treatment,  which  consisted  largely  of 
unseemly  decoctions  and  external  paintings,  were  unsuccessful, 
they  pronounced  the  case  hopeless,  because  the  spirits  were 
displeased  with  the  patient  and  his  friends.  Then,  on  the  death 
of  the  patient,  these  doctors  consulted  the  spirits  with  the  view 
of  averting  further  sickness  and  death.  They  had  to  be  paid 
well  for  all  this ;  and  the  case  usually  ended  by  sacrificing  an  ox 
to  the  spirits,  the  doctors  securing  the  largest  share  of  the  flesh. 
But  Dr  Elmslie  changed  all  this.  He  gradually  showed  the 
worthlessness  of  their  practice,  and  succeeded  in  saving  the  life 
of  many  a  patient  who  had  been  pronounced  hopeless  by  these 
witch-doctors.  Not  only  so,  but  every  one  of  them  became 
favourable  to  the  missionaries.  They  saw,  with  the  rest  of  the 
tribe,  that  it  was  no  use  resisting  men  who  had  ventured  among 
them  with  medical  skill,  and  whose  teaching  on  all  points  was 
good.  They  even  sent  their  own  patients  over  to  Dr  Elmslie; 
and  one  witch-doctor,  whose  two  sons  had  become  converts, 
thanked  the  missionaries  for  the  change  that  had  taken  place  in 
his  own  village  through  the  Gospel.  Formerly  his  village  had 
been  the  scene  of  wild  heathen  orgies,  of  witch-dances  to  drive 


AFRICA'S  EVILS  261 

out  demons,  and  of  savage  revels  which  disturbed  the  sleep  of 
the  missionaries ;  but  now  the  voice  of  singing  and  praise  was 
heard  instead.  Out  of  respect  for  his  two  sons,  this  native 
doctor  removed  his  consulting-room,  with  its  bones,  drums,  and 
other  "  uncanny  "  implements,  a  distance  of  seven  miles  from  the 
Mission  Station,  so  that  Dr  Elmslie  might  be  left  alone  to  carry 
on  his  work  undisturbed. 

So  far  the  writer  has  referred  to  superstitions  and  degrading 
practices.  But  this  was  not  all  the  evil.  The  social  habits  of 
the  people  were  far  from  right.  Polygamy,  that  fruitful  source  of 
jealousy  and  hatred,  condemned  alike  by  the  laws  of  nature  and 
the  experience  of  the  world,  prevailed  to  such  an  extent  that  a 
man's  social  position  and  power  among  his  neighbours  often 
depended  upon  his  number  of  wives.  It  was  quite  a  common 
thing  for  a  man  to  have  four  or  five  wives,  while  a  chief  had  a 
much  larger  number,  sometimes  over  a  hundred.  This  great  evil 
prevailed  both  among  the  Lake  tribes  and  the  Ngoni.  Among 
the  latter,  however,  the  method  of  obtaining  wives  was  somewhat 
different  from  that  existing  elsewhere.  A  man,  desiring  a  wife, 
and  having  obtained  the  consent  of  her  father,  had  to  pay  a 
dowry  or  pledge  for  her.  This  dowry  consisted  of  a  certain 
number  of  cattle,  and  in  this  way  a  father,  with  a  large  number 
of  daughters,  often  increased  his  wealth  considerably.  This 
custom  practically  amounted  to  a  buying  of  wives ;  and  although, 
in  one  sense  it  upheld  female  virtue  and  contributed  to  a  higher 
kind  of  morality  than  among  the  other  tribes,  yet  it  did  not  lessen 
polygamy,  but  rather  increased  its  facilities  among  a  certain 
class. 

It  was  an  evil  that  the  missionaries  were  confronted  with 
wherever  they  went.  It  was  a  rock  that  they  ran  against  every 
day.  It  was  no  easy  matter  for  them  to  know  what  to  do.  How 
were  they  to  deal  with  converted  natives  who  happened  to  have 
several  wives?  Amid  the  clear  light  of  Gospel  times,  only  one 
course  was  open,  but  that  course  could  not  always  be  rigidly 
taken.  There  were  many  cases  of  natives  becoming  thoroughly 
Christian  in  all  their  conduct,  except  that  they  were  the  husbands 
of  several  wives.  They  had  become  enthralled  before  the  Spirit 
of  Christ  touched  their  hearts,  and  revealed  to  them  the  evils  of 
such  a  life.  Now  they  would  fain  escape  from  the  chains,  but 
could  not  break  them.  The  hearts  of  these  natives  would  often 


26*  OUTBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTCONIA 

become  sore  when  they  reflected  on  their  position  and  saw  no 
way  out  of  it.  In  some  cases  they  endeavoured  to  keep  one 
wife,  and  offered  to  provide  for  the  rest  at  their  parents'  villages. 
But  it  often  happened  that  the  rest  refused  to  be  thus  dismissed, 
and  force  could  not  be  used  to  compel  them  to  go.  There  were 
distressing  cases  too  in  Ngoniland  of  school  teachers  and  intelli- 
gent pupils  being  forcibly  taken  as  the  wives  of  evil-minded 
polygamists.  When  they  were  young,  cattle  had  been  given  for 
them  by  these  men,  and  now  they  were  dragged  away  from  school 
against  their  will  to  live  with  men  for  whom  they  had  no  regard, 
and  to  mix  once  more  with  evil  society.  The  whole  question 
was  a  difficult  one  to  deal  with,  and  gave  no  small  amount  of 
anxiety  and  trouble  to  the  missionaries. 

But  wherever  opportunity  offered  the  Christian  form  of  marriage 
was  introduced,  and  the  sanctity  of  the  marriage  vow  was  taught, 
so  that  in  time,  many  of  the  natives — even  some  who  did  not 
profess  themselves  Christians — adopted  monogamy,  and  came  to 
realise  the  evil  of  possessing  many  wives.  Some  of  these,  after 
marriage,  erected  better  houses  for  themselves,  and  otherwise 
showed  that  their  ideas  on  the  subject  had  undergone  a  change. 
In  1877  the  first  Christian  marriage  was  performed  at  Cape 
Maclear.  In  1894  eight  Christian  marriages  were  celebrated, 
and  since  then  the  number  has  gradually  increased.  Many  girls 
in  Ngoniland  have  made  a  stand  for  Christ  in  this  matter, 
refusing  to  be  forced  away  to  live  with  old  and  confirmed 
polygamists,  and  preferring  Christian  husbands  to  men  with  four 
or  five  wives  already.  It  may,  in  fact,  be  said  that  polygamy  has 
now  begun  to  die.  The  native  Christian  Church  has  absolutely 
renounced  it,  and  directed  all  to  do  the  same  in  accordance  with 
the  spirit  of  God's  Word.  This  shows  that  the  whole  question 
will  be  solved  in  due  time  by  the  spread  of  the  pure  Gospel  of 
Jesus.  In  so  far  as  the  chaste  religion  of  Jesus  gains  a  place  in 
Nyasaland,  marriage  will  come  to  be  regarded  as  a  bond  of  equal 
union  and  the  highest  spiritual  partnership. 

Let  not  the  reader  think  that  the  combating  of  such 
enormous  evils  as  we  have  referred  to  in  this  chapter  has  been 
an  easy  matter.  It  has  not  been  so,  humanly  speaking.  It  has 
required  a  large  amount  of  wisdom  on  the  part  of  the  missionaries. 
Often  native  Christians,  for  example,  have  sought  advice  from 
them  on  these  matters.  There  are  many  superstitious  practices 


AFRICA'S  EVILS  263 

which  the  Christians  knew  to  be  evil,  but  which  were  regarded  of 
such  importance  by  the  people  that  any  neglect  of  them  brought 
persecution  and  danger  upon  the  offenders.  The  missionaries 
have  had  to  enter  into  such  questions  with  great  prudence,  using 
their  influence  with  tribes  to  put  away  evil  customs,  and  sympathis- 
ing with  and  helping  the  Christians  in  these  peculiar  trials  and 
temptations.  It  has  not  been  easy  from  its  human  standpoint, 
but  the  strength  of  Christ  has  been  behind,  and  has  always 
prevailed.  The  preaching  of  the  Cross  has  been  the  power  of 
God  to  confound  these  evils.  They  are  now  fast  disappearing 
before  the  increasing  light ;  and  if  it  should  be  many  years  yet,  or 
even  generations,  before  they  totally  vanish,  let  the  reader  remember 
that  no  Divine  ideal  is  realised  in  a  day  any  more  than  a  black 
cloud  is  suddenly  dispersed  in  the  sky,  or  a  stony  glacier  is  at 
once  dissolved  into  the  small  stream  that  trickles  slowly  from  it. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
IN  PERILS  OFT 

THE  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  could  only  compare  himself  and 
his  fellow-missionaries  to  those  gladiators  who  were  condemned  to 
death  in  the  arena.  "  I  think,"  he  said,  "  that  God  hath  set  forth 
us  the  apostles  last,  as  it  were  appointed  to  death."  Perils  and 
afflictions  were  his  almost  constant  companions,  and  he  could  say 
that  he  died  daily.  While  other  servants  of  Christ  spent  a 
luxurious  and  self-complacent  life  at  home,  he  lived  a  precarious 
and  self-sacrificing  existence  for  the  extension  of  his  Master's 
Kingdom. 

To  a  large  extent  this  has  been  the  lot  of  many  who  have  gone 
forth  to  heathen  lands  with  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Who  that  knows 
anything  at  all  of  missionary  affairs  has  not  heard  of  the  murder  of 
Williams  at  Erromanga,  of  Hannington  on  the  way  to  Uganda,  of 
Patteson  at  Nekapu,  of  the  sufferings  of  Judson  and  Dr  Paton,  and 
of  the  perils  of  Chalmers  and  others  in  the  South  Seas  ?  Few,  if 
any  missionaries  have  had  a  life  of  comfort :  they  have  rather  had  to 
face  numberless  anxieties,  hardships,  and  dangers.  While  others 
have  sat  comfortably  looking  on,  they  have  often  had  to  step  into 
the  arena,  exposed  to  conflict,  ill-usage,  and  death.  No  one  can 
read  the  missionary  history  of  the  nineteenth  century  without  find- 
ing this  to  be  true  from  its  opening  pages  until  its  last. 

In  like  manner,  peril  was  the  lot  of  the  Livingstonia  missionaries. 
They  took  their  lives  in  their  hands  when  they  ventured  up  the 
Shire  River  to  Nyasaland.  In  the  earlier  days  of  the  Mission  they 
had  to  travel  on  the  Kwakwa  Riyer  for  nearly  a  hundred  miles,  in 
leaking  wash-tub  boats,  experiencing  in  no  small  degree  the  un- 
certainties of  life.  All  the  way  to  the  Lake  great  care  had  also  to 
be  exercised  to  manoeuvre  the  boats  through  the  large  herds  of 
hippopotami  snorting  around,  for  it  was  quite  common  to  see  a 
dozen  heads  raised  above  water,  all  within  a  stone's-cast,  while  in 

shallow  places  these  repulsive  monsters,  could  easily  be  distinguished 
264 


IN  PERILS  OFT  265 

hurrying  along  underneath.  In  addition,  the  water  swarmed  in 
some  places  with  venomous  crocodiles,  which  have  been  known  to 
make  bold,  unprovoked  attacks  on  human  beings,  seizing  them  in 
their  powerful  jaws  and  dragging  them  away,  never  more  to  be 
seen  alive. 

Such  adventures  were  bad  enough,  but  to  meet  with  serious 
accidents  on  the  way  up  the  rivers,  as  many  of  our  missionaries 
have  done,  was  much  worse.  Once  Mr  James  Stewart  and  Mr 
Fred  Moir  nearly  lost  their  lives  at  Matope  through  an  encounter 
with  a  herd  of  hippopotami.  One  of  the  animals  seized  the  bottom 
of  their  boat  with  its  teeth,  and  gave  it  such  a  heave  that  Mr  Moir 
was  shot  over  Mr  Stewart's  head  into  the  water.  Mr  Stewart 
followed,  and  both  men  had  to  swim  for  the  bank,  where  they  fell 
exhausted.  Similarly,  Ur  and  Mrs  Henry  narrowly  escaped  death 
in  1888,  as  they  were  travelling  up  the  Shire,  owing  to  a  huge 
hippopotamus  driving  its  head  into  the  side  of  their  frail  boat,  which 
at  once  began  to  fill.  Dr  Henry  got  the  men  to  row  hard  towards 
the  bank,  but  the  boat  sank  a  long  way  off  in  water  so  deep  that 
they  stood  up  to  the  neck  in  it.  All  managed  to  reach  the  bank  in 
safety,  but  they  had  to  pass  the  night  in  a  swamp,  after  which  they 
completed  their  journey  by  a  land  tramp  of  sixty  miles.  Few 
would  care  for  that  experience,  which,  however,  was  not  uncommon 
in  earlier  years  !  It  must  have  been  vexatious  also  to  lose  most  or 
all  of  one's  property,  as  frequently  happened.  David  Livingstone 
had  often  suffered  in  all  these  and  various  other  ways,  and  his 
immediate  followers  had  to  make  up  their  minds  for  the  same. 
Africa,  in  these  early  days,  was  a  land  of  wonders  and  terrors,  a 
great  unknown  continent,  and  to  enter  it  even  as  far  as  Lake 
Nyasa  was  as  perilous  as  penetrating  any  of  the  South  Sea 
Islands. 

And  when  once  the  missionaries  had  escaped  these  initial 
dangers,  and  were  settled  down,  they  had  no  earthly  means  of 
protection  from  the  persecution  or  bitter  malice  of  hostile  chiefs, 
as  they  were  beyond  the  immediate  reach  of  any  European  State. 
For  many  years  they  had  no  Consul  or  representative  of  Britain  or 
any  other  Power  to  assist  them  in  case  of  attack.  They  received 
no  Consular  aid  or  protection  by  our  Government  when  they  went 
out ;  and  so  they  went  forward  to  the  rescue  of  Nyasa's  teeming 
tribes  without  any  earthly  power  behind  them.  Later  on,  the 
Committee,  on  their  own  initiative — for  the  Mission  party  were 


266  DATBREAK  IN  LIViNGSTONIA 

quite  indifferent  on  the  matter  * — made  application  over  and  over 
again  to  the  Foreign  Office  for  Government  protection  of  some 
sort,  suggesting  at  one  time  that  some  one  on  the  spot,  such  as 
Mr  James  Stewart,  should  be  appointed  a  British  Agent,  and 
invested  with  adequate  authority.  But  the  Government,  while 
promising  to  use  its  influence  as  best  it  could  for  the  protection 
of  the  missionaries,  could  not  promise  to  appoint  such  an  agent, 
believing  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  afford  him  efficient  defence 
in  such  inland  regions.  For  many  years,  therefore,  until  Nyasa- 
land  came  under  British  administration,  persecution  and  danger 
were  to  some  extent  the  lot  of  the  missionaries.  If  plundered  of 
their  goods,  there  was  no  hope  of  redress.  If  detained  in  bondage, 
there  was  no  liberty  for  them  except  through  friendly  persuasion. 
If  any  of  them  should  be  put  to  death,  no  demand  for  reparation 
could  be  enforced. 

These  dangers  were  not  imaginary.  They  were  real,  owing  to 
the  hostility  of  certain  chiefs  and  others  who  refused  to  recognise 
the  Mission.  The  chiefs  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  it  is 
true,  were  friendly,  and  their  confidence  in  these  white  men,  who 
had  suddenly  come  to  live  among  them,  was  great.  But  still  there 
were  some  farther  off  who  did  not  understand  the  Mission,  and 
manifested  considerable  ill-will  when  first  visited.  They  had  a 
natural  hostility  to  a  stranger  proclaiming  truths  that  they  had 
never  heard  of,  and  a  certain  dread  of  unknown  evils  that  might 
follow.  Such  chiefs  had  strong  enough  forces  to  attack  the  Mission 
if  they  chose,  and  sometimes  showed  their  power.  Moreover,  the 
country  was  infested  with  brutal  slave-dealers,  who  would  have 
thought  nothing  of  shedding  the  missionaries'  blood,  if  opportunity 
offered,  for  their  personal  interest  was  at  stake — an  interest  much 
greater  than  that  which  provoked  the  cry,  "  Great  is  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians."  Even  some  of  the  natives  were  not  to  be  trusted, 
when  bribed  or  influenced  by  Portuguese  or  Arab  scoundrels. 
Indeed,  such  dangers  at  first  were  so  real  that  the  missionaries 
could  never  undertake  long  journeys,  especially  through  savage 
and  unknown  parts,  without  being  well  armed.  Apart  from  beasts 
of  prey,  they  never  knew  when  they  might  be  called  on  to  protect 
themselves  from  the  spears  and  muskets  of  men. 

There  were  also  other  perils  of  a  different  kind  to  be  faced. 

*  Dr  Laws,  indeed,  and  others  personally  declined  to  seek  Government  pro- 
tection. 


BANDAWE  MISSION  HOUSE. 


THE  SCHOOL,  BANDAWE. 


IN  PERILS  OFT  267 

There  were  wars  and  savage  conflicts  among  the  different  tribes, 
which  threatened  the  safety  of  the  Mission,  until  it  seemed  as  if 
some  of  the  Stations,  planted  with  so  much  patience  and  prayer, 
would  be  swept  away,  and  the  whole  Mission  band  slain.  There 
were  deeper  perils  still  in  the  fever,  famine,  affliction,  and  death 
which  crept  across  the  missionaries'  pathway.  It  was  emphatically 
true  that  they  knew  not  what  a  day  might  bring  forth. 

We  have  said  that  there  were  conflicts  among  the  tribes.  It  is 
an  easy  matter  to  gather  instances,  so  many  and  so  horrible  do 
they  seem  to  have  been.  The  Ngoni  wars  have  already  been 
mentioned,  but  a  reference  may  be  made  to  them  again  as  bearing 
on  the  safety  of  the  Mission. 

At  the  close  of  1881  these  bloodthirsty  Ngoni,  actuated  by 
scarcity  of  food  and  a  desire  for  plunder,  mustered  their  forces 
for  an  exterminating  campaign  against  the  Tonga,  their  weaker 
neighbours  who  resided  on  the  Lake  shore.  The  Mission  had 
only  a  short  time  before  been  removed  from  Cape  Maclear  to 
Bandawe,  in  the  midst  of  these  Tonga  tribes.  Mission  premises 
had  by  this  time  been  erected,  and  many  of  the  people  were 
beginning  to  be  influenced  for  good.  But  now  this  disturbance 
between  the  Ngoni  and  Tonga  threatened  the  work  of  the  Mission 
at  this  most  important  period  in  its  history.  Several  encounters 
took  place,  and  far  many  months  Dr  Laws  and  his  staff  had  much 
anxiety.  At  one  time  there  were  rumours  that  a  large  Ngoni  army 
was  being  organised  for  an  attack  on  Bandawe,  and  that  its 
commander  had  volunteered  to  destroy  the  white  men.  Dr  Laws 
resolved,  if  matters  came  to  the  worst,  to  fire  the  Mission  Station, 
so  as  to  prevent  it  from  being  plundered,  and  thus  holding  out 
any  inducement  for  an  attack  in  the  future.  But  most  fortunately, 
through  the  timely  return  from  South  Africa  of  Mr  William  Koyi, 
the  Kafir  evangelist,  who  could  speak  the  language  of  the  Ngoni, 
representations  were  made  to  Mombera,  their  great  chief,  and  the 
work  was  kept  in  safety.  Then,  in  the  beginning  of  1882,  a 
representative  party  of  Ngoni  were  sent  down  to  the  Tonga  with 
terms  of  peace.  The  two  parties  met  together  at  the  Bandaw6 
Mission  Station  and  spoke  in  turns.  After  several  hours'  discus- 
sion, an  agreement  was  concluded  between  the  two  tribes,  for 
which  the  missionaries  were  heartily  thankful,  although  they  felt 
that  peace  would  not  long  continue. 

The    fire    of   warfare,    indeed,    was    continually    smouldering 


268  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

between  these  two  tribes,  and  required  very  little  to  fan  it  into  & 
flame.  We  need  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  that,  in  1877  again, 
the  chiefs  of  these  wild  Ngoni  threatened  another  attack  upon  the 
Tonga  near  Bandawe,  and  for  some  time  the  Mission  was  once 
more  in  peril  from  this  quarter.  This  time  the  Ngoni  demanded  that 
all  the  missionaries  among  the  Tonga  should  go  up  and  live  with 
them,  thus  leaving  this  weaker  tribe  alone  to  be  attacked  and 
enslaved ;  and  failing  this,  they  virtually  said  that  all  the  mission- 
aries in  their  own  district  would  have  to  leave.  It  was  a  time  of 
great  peril  to  Dr  Elmslie  and  Dr  Laws.  Precautions  had  to  be  taken 
to  preserve  Mission  and  private  property.  Dr  Laws  had  much  of 
it  removed  to  Cape  Maclear,  the  remainder,  amounting  to  several 
hundred  loads,  being  ready  for  shipment  in  a  few  minutes'  notice. 
Some  of  the  women  were  also  sent  there,  and  it  was  expected  that 
all  the  staff  would  have  to  follow  for  safety  to  the  same  place.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  Dr  Elmslie  sent  down  his  surgical  instru- 
ments to  Bandawe",  and  buried  his  medicines  and  other  things  at 
Njuyu  in  preparation  for  flight. 

But  after  many  months  of  deep  anxiety,  the  hostility  was 
averted  through  the  tact,  courage,  and  faithfulness  of  Dr  Laws  and 
his  fellow-helpers.  A  treaty  of  peace  was  arranged,  and  the 
Tonga  became  practically  independent.  The  whole  movement 
was  ultimately  overruled  by  God  for  the  establishment  of  friendli- 
ness between  the  two  tribes,  and  for  the  prosperity  of  the  Mission 
in  Ngoniland. 

Another  source  of  anxiety  and  danger  to  the  missionaries  lay  in 
the  interruptions  to  free  communication  with  one  another.  In 
1887,  during  the  threatened  Ngoni  war  just  referred  to,  com- 
munication with  Dr  Elmslie  in  Ngoniland  was  broken  off,  as  no 
messengers  were  willing  to  go  from  Bandawe  to  that  wild  region. 
A  party  of  carriers  sent  by  Dr  Laws  had  been  brutally  attacked, 
and  six  of  them  murdered.  Hence  no  one  would  venture  again. 
At  last  Dr  Laws  persuaded  two  men  to  leave  with  mails  during 
the  night  and  travel  in  the  bush,  a  system  which  had  to  be  adopted 
for  many  months. 

But  communication  with  the  coast  was  more  often  broken.  At 
one  time — in  1884 — communication  was  cut  off  for  some  months, 
on  account  of  the  hostility  of  the  Makololo  on  the  lower  Shire. 
These  tribes,  which  at  first  were  extremely  friendly,  owing  to  their 
chiefs  having  been  trusted  carriers  with  Dr  Livingstone,  afterwards 


IN  PERILS  OFT  269 

became  less  favourably  disposed,  because  they  could  not  obtain 
guns  and  powder  from  the  missionaries  at  their  pleasure,  and  even 
withheld  their  subjects  from  attending  the  Mission  services  and 
schools,  in  order  to  cause  annoyance.  At  last  a  climax  was 
reached,  when,  in  February  1884,  Chipatula,  a  Makololo  chief, 
who  had  been  one  of  Livingstone's  porters,  was  shot  for  some 
offence  by  a  European  adventurer.  The  whole  Makololo  tribe 
now  rose  in  revenge,  attacked  the  Mission  storehouses  at  Matope, 
and  burned  some  of  them,  and  also  threatened  war  on  Mandala, 
the  headquarters  of  the  African  Lakes  Corporation.  An  attack 
upon  the  Ilala,  as  it  lay  at  anchor  in  the  Shire,  was  only  averted 
by  its  moving  away.  The  Lakes  Company's  steamer,  Lady 
Nyasa,  was  shot  at  and  seized  while  proceeding  up  the  river,  and 
all  its  cargo  stolen.  The  journey  down  to  the  coast  was  blocked 
for  some  months,  and  communication  had  to  be  made  overland. 
It  was  only  after  much  trouble  that  Consul  Foote  succeeded  in 
quieting  the  tribe  and  restoring  communication  with  the  coast. 
He  died  not  long  afterwards,  as  a  result  of  the  anxiety  and  fatigue 
he  had  suffered. 

Readers  will  observe,  by  the  way,  that  this  bitter  hostility  arose 
from  the  Makololo  confounding  the  missionaries  with  other  white 
men  of  an  unscrupulous  nature,  regarding  their  motives  as  one 
and  the  same.  This  was  a  common  tendency  among  the  natives, 
and  was  a  great  source  of  vexation  to  the  Mission.  As  a  simple 
instance,  it  may  be  mentioned  that,  in  1879,  a  number  of  men, 
who  had  been  employed  transplanting  a  new  boiler  for  the  Ilala 
across  the  Murchison  cataracts,  were  attacked  by  a  number  of  Yao 
belonging  to  a  chief  named  Luonde.  They  were  fired  at  and 
pursued,  but  all  of  them  managed  to  swim  across  the  Shire  except 
two,  one  of  whom  was  drowned,  and  the  other  was  bitten  through 
the  waist  by  a  hippopotamus.  On  the  matter  being  investigated 
by  Dr  Laws,  it  was  discovered  that  some  time  before  two  of 
Luonde's  wives  had  been  carried  off  by  one  of  the  servants  of  an 
English  hunter,  and  that  the  attack  on  the  Mission  subjects  was  a 
piece  of  retaliation.  The  hunter  had  no  connection  whatever  with 
the  Mission,  but  being  a  white  man,  Luonde  considered  that  he 
and  the  missionaries  were  one. 

About  the  time  of  the  Makololo  attacks,  trials  and  losses  also 
came  through  a  war  between  the  Portuguese  and  the  Machinjiri 
tribe  in  the  lower  Shire.  Like  the  Makololo,  the  latter,  in  their 


2  7o  D AT 'BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

excitement,  attacked  all  white  men  indiscriminately.  They  besieged 
Mopea  with  an  army  of  two  thousand,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the 
heroic  action  of  Mr  Fred  Moir,  who  formed  a  small  relief  corps  of 
fifteen  white  men  and  ninety  black,  and  marched  to  the  relief  of 
the  place,  they  would  have  gone  on  to  Kilimane,  gradually  in- 
creasing in  number,  and  would  probably  have  slain  all  white  men 
there,  and  burned  or  sacked  the  town.  As  it  was,  much  property 
belonging  to  the  Mission  and  Lakes  Company,  including  several 
thousand  yards  of  calico,  clothes,  provisions,  books,  and  other 
articles,  was  stolen  or  wantonly  destroyed  owing  to  the  war. 
Among  other  things,  a  large  supply  of  school  materials,  and 
portions  of  Scripture  in  the  native  language,  were  thrown  into  the 
river.  The  missionaries  suffered  from  insufficient  and  unsuitable 
supplies  of  food,  while  the  journey  to  the  coast  was  rendered 
unsafe,  those  white  men  who  ventured  down  the  river  at  the  time 
having  several  hairbreadth  escapes.  In  1889  also,  there  was  fight- 
ing on  the  Shire,  at  Mponda's,  near  Cape  Maclear,  in  which  some 
of  the  Ngoni  tribes  were  engaged.  This  again  led  to  a  temporary 
closure  of  communication  and  prevention  of  traffic  to  the  coast. 
Shortly  afterwards  there  was  a  war  between  the  Portuguese  and  the 
Makololo.  In  fact,  a  book  might  be  filled  with  such  occurrences, 
which  were  great  hindrances  to  transit  on  the  rivers,  and  were 
disastrous  to  missionary  progress.  Again  and  again,  on  account 
of  such  events,  the  missionaries  could  not  procure  goods  and 
provisions.  Beads  and  calico,  the  currency  of  the  country, 
became  exhausted.  Expected  supplies  did  not  reach  the  lake, 
and  expeditions  had  to  be  sent  in  various  directions  in  search  of 
food. 

At  last,  when  the  British  Government,  through  the  Church's 
memorials,  appointed  a  Consul  in  1883,  there  was  more  hope 
of  peace  and  safety  in  Nyasaland ;  and  when  the  Berlin  Compact 
was  signed  in  1885,  it  appeared  as  if  all  danger  to  life  and  property 
in  Africa  was  at  an  end.  The  fourteen  Powers  who  signed  the 
Compact  agreed,  in  the  sixth  Article,  to  protect  and  favour 
religious,  scientific,  or  charitable  agencies  in  Central  Africa ;  and 
Christian  missionaries,  scientists,  and  explorers,  with  their  followers 
and  property,  were  to  be  the  objects  of  especial  protection.  All 
this  was  most  excellent,  but  it  could  not  be  carried  out,  as 
subsequent  events  proved;  for  there  were  new  and  startling 
dangers  that  now  arrived  from  outside,  through  the  hostilities 


IN  PERILS  OFT  271 

of  Arab  raiders,  dangers  which  gravely  affected  not  only  the 
Livingstonia  Mission,  but  also  the  Established  Church  Mission 
to  the  south-east  and  the  trading  stations  of  the  Lakes 
Company. 

These  dangers  came  in  a  determined  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  Arabs  and  their  subordinates  to  increase  the  slave-trade,  with 
all  its  horrors  and  desolating  influences.  About  1885  the  power 
of  the  Arabs  began  to  revive.  A  great  slave-trading  confederacy 
seemed  to  arise,  either  having  its  origin  at  Zanzibar,  or  receiving 
encouragement  from  that  quarter.  Later  on,  in  1887,  the  Arabs 
descended  in  full  force  upon  Nyasaland,  and  managed  to  obtain 
a  firm  footing  in  the  Konde  country  to  the  north-west  of  the 
lake,  not  far  from  Karonga,  one  of  the  stations  of  the  Lakes 
Company. 

The  Konde  country,  thus  invaded  by  these  merciless  slavers, 
was  one  of  exceptional  beauty  and  fertility,  watered  by  perennial 
rivers,  and  producing  the  richest  and  most  varied  crops  in  all 
Central  Africa.  It  was  thickly  populated  with  an  industrious 
and  intelligent  people,  who  possessed  large  herds  of  cattle,  and 
lived  in  well-constructed  houses,  and  who,  by  their  own  abilities 
and  resources,  were  on  the  high  road  to  civilisation.  Through  it 
ran  the  Stevenson  Road,  the  possession  of  which  was  of  the 
greatest  importance,  both  to  the  Mission  and  the  Lakes  Company, 
the  Karonga  Trading  Station  being  on  the  entrance  to  this  road 
from  the  lake. 

The  Arab  dealers,  of  whom  the  most  notorious  were  Mlozi, 
Msalema,  and  Kopa-kopa,  having  seized  this  valuable  country, 
began  to  oppress  the  people  with  their  usual  brutality.  Soon 
they  found  an  excuse  for  slavery  and  bloodshed.  The  circum- 
stances of  the  outbreak  seem  to  have  been  these.  A  slave  had 
escaped  from  Mlozi's  village  at  Mpata,  and  had  sought  refuge 
with  Liambiro,  a  Konde  chief.  Those  to  whom  the  slave 
belonged  demanded  his  return.  On  the  conditions  not  being 
satisfactory,  a  plot  was  laid,  and  Liambiro  was  shot  in  the  back. 
The  man  who  shot  him,  Mlozi's  blacksmith,  was  immediately 
speared  by  the  Konde  people,  and  many  Arab  women  were 
massacred.  The  Arabs,  whose  evident  desire  had  been  to  find 
an  excuse  for  seizing  the  people,  then  began  a  campaign  of 
devastation  and  butchery,  burning  the  villages,  seizing  hundreds 
of  the  inhabitants,  massacring  many  others,  and  laying  waste  the 


272  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

country  from  Mpata  down  to  the  lake  shore.  The  fear-stricken 
natives  fled  for  shelter  wherever  it  could  be  found,  and  those 
who  could  not  escape  were  brutally  treated.  Mlozi  then  pro- 
claimed himself  Sultan  of  the  Konde  country,  and  offered  as  the 
only  terms  on  which  the  people  might  return  to  their  homes 
that  they  should  submit  to  the  Arab  yoke  and  become  his  slaves. 
Further,  he  announced  that  the  missionaries  and  others  would 
only  be  allowed  to  remain  in  the  country  on  condition  that  they 
paid  him  a  large  sum  as  ruling  chief. 

At  the  end  of  1887  this  state  of  matters  reached  a  crisis,  the 
story  of  which  is  interesting,  and  reminds  one  of  some  of  the 
thrilling  scenes  which  took  place  in  the  Indian  Mutiny.  The 
Arabs  began  to  congregate  in  large  numbers  near  Karonga,  where 
Mr  L.  Monteith  Fotheringham,  the  Company's  Agent,  was  all 
alone,  and  in  a  position  of  great  peril  from  their  continued  threats. 
It  had  been  intimated  to  him  that  he  must  confine  himself  to  the 
Station  or  its  immediate  grounds,  otherwise  he  would  be  shot. 
On  5th  October  he  sent  men  with  all  haste  to  Mweniwanda's, 
urging  Rev.  Mr  Bain,  one  of  the  Livingstonia  missionaries  there, 
to  come  down  at  once  to  his  help.  Mr  Bain  and  Dr  Cross 
immediately  held  a  consultation,  and  it  was  resolved  that  Mr  Bain 
should  go.  He  had  been  at  hard  out-door  work  all  day,  yet  he 
wrote  as  follows  to  Dr  Laws :  "  The  same  night  I  left  Mweni- 
wanda's at  ten  p.m.,  and  next  evening  was  at  Mpata  just  after 
sunset,  having  marched  steadily  with  only  a  few  short  rests.  We 
got  through  the  pass  at  Mpata  with  much  difficulty  from  the 
darkness,  and  bivouacked  for  the  night  opposite  Mlozi's  village, 
with  the  Rukuru  between  us,  to  wait  till  the  moon  should  rise. 
At  twelve  p.m.  I  was  roused  by  a  number  of  men  coming  towards 
me  stealthily  on  tiptoe  with  poised  spears.  They  asked  who  I 
was.  I  said  the  "Mzungu"  (white  man).  They  said,  "you  lie." 
I  told  them  to  come  and  see.  I  had  come  from  Mweniwanda's 
to  be  with  them  in  their  trouble.  The  poor  fellows  came,  every 
one  of  them,  and  shook  me  warmly  by  the  hand,  and  told  me 
that  the  Arabs  had  wantonly  killed  Liambiro,  their  kinsman  and 
chief.  I  said  my  heart  was  sore  for  them,  but  that  one  man 
could  do  nothing  for  them ;  that  as  soon  as  I  got  to  Mwakasun- 
gura's  or  Karonga's  where  Monteith  was,  then  we  would  try  to 
do  all  we  could  for  them  short  of  fighting.  They  bade  me  a 
sorrowful  farewell ;  and  as  the  moon  was  up,  I  left  and  reached 


IN  PERILS  OFT  273 

Monteith's  before  dawn,  having  passed  an  encampment  or  village 
of  sleeping  Arabs."  In  fact,  he  passed  only  a  few  feet  from 
sentinels  who  were  slumbering  by  their  watch  fires,  and  who,  if 
awake,  might  have  quickly  despatched  him.  This  forced  march 
probably  saved  Mr  Fotheringham's  life,  for  he  was  broken  down 
with  fatigue  and  constant  watching  against  danger. 

Mr  Bain  now  took  refuge  along  with  Mr  Fotheringham,  and  a 
starved,  frightened  band  of  fugitives,  at  the  Company's  Station  at 
Karonga.  Days  of  great  anxiety  followed.  They  endeavoured  to 
bring  about  peace  by  friendly  conference  with  the  Arabs,  request- 
ing at  least  that  the  people  immediately  surrounding  the  Station, 
and  in  no  way  concerned  in  the  recent  retaliation,  should  be  left 
unmolested.  But  it  was  all  in  vain.  The  Arabs  demanded  tribute 
of  women,  cows,  and  goats.  There  was  death  in  the  air,  but  these 
two  white  men  were  nothing  daunted.  Surrounded  as  they  were 
by  savage  multitudes  of  armed  Arabs  and  their  followers,  they  set 
to  work  to  erect  a  rude  brick  fort,  or  stockade,  to  protect  them- 
selves and  the  people.  The  Livingstonia  missionaries  and  the 
Lakes  Company  had  resolved  never  to  fight  except  in  case  of 
utter  necessity,  when  by  so  doing  they  could  save  their  own  lives 
and  those  of  the  natives.  Conciliation,  patient  endurance,  and 
forbearance  to  the  utmost  were  absolute  rules  with  them,  as  they 
had  been  with  the  illustrious  Livingstone.  But  now,  for  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  Mission,  these  men  had  come  into 
forcible  collision  with  slave-dealers.  They  were  face  to  face  with 
armed  men  thirsting  for  their  blood. 

The  position  of  the  two  besieged  men  grew  more  dangerous 
every  day.  On  October  29th,  Mlozi  sent  messengers  demanding 
that  all  work  in  defence  of  the  Station  should  cease ;  and  so,  in 
order  to  avoid  giving  the  slightest  provocation,  they  abstained  from 
digging  a  moat  and  taking  other  precautions  as  they  had  intended. 
How  matters  would  have  gone  with  them  it  would  have  been  hard 
to  tell,  had  they  not  been  reinforced  on  November  4th  by  Consul 
O'Neill  of  Mozambique,  and  three  others,*  who  had  heard  of  their 
critical  position  and  had  opportunely  come  to  their  help  from  the 
other  end  of  the  Lake,  and  also  two  days  later  by  Mr  John  L. 
Nicoll  from  Tanganyika  and  a  number  of  his  men.  Further 
attempts  to  bring  about  peace  were  then  made.  Everything  was 

*  Rev.   L.  Scott,  of  Manchester  ;  Dr  Tomory,  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society,  and  Mr  Alfred  Sharpe  (now  II. M.  Deputy  Commissioner). 
S 


274  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

done  by  Consul  O'Neill  that  could  possibly  be  done  to  prevent 
hostilities,  but  all  in  vain.  Realising  the  serious  state  of  matters, 
the  party  at  once  took  effective  measures  to  secure  safety  for  them- 
selves and  the  ever-increasing  band  of  refugees,  by  forming  a  trench 
filled  with  thorns,  appointing  regular  European  sentries,  and  ex- 
tending the  fortifications.  On  2jrd  November  Mr  Nicoll  was  also 
dispatched  to  the  north  end  of  the  Lake  to  secure  the  friendly 
services  of  the  Wamwanga,  who  were  kinsmen  of  the  Konde. 

At  dawn,  on  the  24th  November,  the  life  and  death  struggle 
began.  The  Arabs,  with  about  five  hundred  guns,  commenced  a 
furious  fire  upon  the  fort  from  under  cover,  and  kept  it  up  con- 
stantly for  five  days  and  nights.  Every  night  they  pushed  their 
stockades  nearer  and  higher,  necessitating  the  heightening  of  the 
defences  with  boxes  and  bales,  and  the  digging  of  deep  trenches 
inside,  and  deep  pits  in  the  sands  for  the  women  and  children. 
But  with  an  amount  of  courage  worthy  of  the  world's  heroes,  these 
six  white  men,  with  less  than  fifty  armed  natives,  did  not  flinch, 
though  "  facing  fearful  odds  " :  they  gallantly  stood  the  siege  and 
kept  the  slave  ruffians  at  bay,  reminding  us  of  those  who  held  so 
bravely  the  Residency  at  Lucknow.  More  than  once,  after  lying 
down  for  a  short  sleep,  they  would  rise  and  remove  the  sand  which 
had  been  driven  on  to  them,  even  into  their  pockets,  by  bullets 
striking  the  ground  close  to  where  they  lay.  At  length,  through 
the  timely  arrival  of  Mr  Nicoll  and  the  Wamwanga  allies,  over  five 
thousand  in  number,  the  brave  defenders  managed  to  drive  the 
Arabs  off.  It  is  most  remarkable  that,  amidst  all  this  danger, 
whilst  their  tents  were  riddled  with  bullets,  they  remained  un- 
scathed, preserved,  shall  we  not  say,  by  a  merciful  Providence  ? 
"  I  wish  to  state,"  says  Dr  Tomory,  "  that  in  my  opinion,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  extraordinary  influence  of  the  Rev.  Mr  Bain  of  the 
Free  Church  Mission  and  Mr  Fotheringham  of  the  African  Lakes 
Company  over  the  natives,  we  should  never  have  escaped  from 
Karonga  alive."* 

But  their  troubles  were  not  over.  They  found  it  necessary,  as 
their  allies  desired  to  return  home,  to  abandon  Karonga,  and  so 
retired  further  up  the  Lake  to  the  encampment  of  the  Konde,  on 
the  Nsessi  River,  where  they  were  joined  by  Dr  Kerr  Cross,  who 
had  fled  from  Mweniwanda.  The  whole  party  became  very  dis- 
pirited, owing  to  the  absence  of  the  Ilala,  which  had  been  de- 
*  Scottish  Geographical  Magazine,  June  1888,  p.  307. 


JN  PERILS  OFT  275 

spatched  five  weeks  before  for  reinforcements.  Mr  Fothefingham 
offered  to  travel  overland  through  the  Arab  villages  to  Bandawe, 
while  Consul  O'Neill  rigged  up  a  canoe  with  mast  and  sail  to  run 
to  Likoma — anything  to  let  their  position  be  known.  Things 
were  in  this  state  when  the  steamer  arrived  on  gth  December, 
bringing  Consul  Hawes,  Mr  John  Moir,  and  others,  who  were 
relieved  to  find  the  little  body  of  Europeans  safe.  With  the 
assistance  of  the  natives  who  had  relieved  the  siege,  the  united 
party  now  resolved  to  punish  the  Arab  leader,  Mlozi,  and  so,  on 
23rd  December,  they  attacked  and  partly  burned  his  stockaded 
village,  which  lay  twelve  miles  inland,  and  was  surrounded  by  a 
treble  wall  of  trees  and  mud,  with  every  spike  crowned  with  a 
human  skull.  But  Mr  Moir  and  Mr  Sharpe  were  wounded,  and 
want  of  ammunition  compelled  the  party  to  retire.  As  the  rainy 
season  had  now  commenced  in  all  its  severity,  further  operations 
were  impossible.  So,  on  5th  January,  the  north  end  of  the  Lake 
was  abandoned,  Mr  Bain,  Dr  Cross,  und  others  retiring  to  Mweni- 
wanda's,  where  they  fortified  themselves  within  a  stockade,  and 
the  rest  going  south  to  make  further  preparations  and  secure 
stronger  European  reinforcements. 

Shortly  after  this,  Mr  Buchanan,  the  Acting  Consul,  tried  to 
make  peace  with  the  Arabs,  but  failed.  While  on  his  way  south 
again,  along  with  Rev.  W.  P.  Johnson,  of  the  Universities'  Mission, 
he  paid  a  visit  to  Makanjira,  the  powerful  slave  chief  on  the  east- 
coast  of  the  Lake,  in  order  to  secure  his  friendly  co-operation. 
But  here  an  incident  happened  to  these  two  men  which  showed 
only  too  plainly  that  the  Arabs  everywhere  were  of  one  mind.  A 
huge  horde  of  natives  and  mongrel  Arabs,  irritated  at  the  opposi- 
tion of  the  "  English,"  rushed  upon  them  and  tore  their  clothes  to 
pieces,  leaving  them  standing  naked.  Their  attendants,  on  seeing 
that  danger  was  imminent,  swam  off  to  the  steamer,  one  of  them, 
who  had  his  hands  tied  behind  him,  being  drowned.  It  was 
suggested  that  the  two  white  men  should  be  sacrificed  at  the  tomb 
of  the  late  chief,  or  killed  in  some  way ;  and  their  murder  would 
certainly  have  taken  place  if  one  of  the  Arabs  present  had  not 
interfered.  They  were,  however,  kept  in  durance  all  night  and 
managed  to  escape  after  paying  a  ransom  consisting  of  200  yards 
of  calico  and  several  drums  of  paint  and  oils.  The  calico  was 
probably  wanted  for  the  purchase  of  slaves,  and  the  paint  for  some 
of  the  daus  which  ferried  these  poor  wretches  across  the  Lake  to 


276  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Makanjira's  village.  "  If  this,"  wrote  Dr  Laws,  "  is  calmly 
swallowed  by  the  liberty  loving  British  nation,  it  has  surely 
changed  much  during  recent  years."  * 

The  Arabs  were  determined  to  close  the  route  to  the  interior 
and  to  have  slaves  and  plunder  at  any  cost.  But  the  Lakes 
Corporation  and  the  Missionary  Societies  were  determined  to 
prevent  this  lamentable  evil.  And  so,  a  second  and  large  expedi- 
tion, headed  by  Mr  Frederick  Moir,  went  north,  in  March  1888, 
to  the  Karonga  district  to  drive  off  the  Arabs.  This  expedition 
called  in  Dr  Kerr  Cross  to  their  help  as  a  measure  of  safety.  All 
alone  he  had  been  holding  on  bravely  in  his  Mission  work,  though 
he  knew  his  life  was  in  peril,  and  would  have  held  on  still.  But 
duty  called  him  to  accompany  this  expedition,  to  attend  as  a  non- 
combatant  to  any  who  might  be  wounded.  The  attack  upon  the 
Arabs  took  place  on  loth  April,  but  resulted  in  failure.  It  was 
found  that  every  stockade  had  been  strengthened,  while  great  pits 
with  spikes  had  been  dug,  and  thorns  strewn  around.  After  an 
engagement  of  two  hours,  Msalema's  village  was  set  on  fire ;  but, 
unfortunately,  Mr  Fred  Moir  received  a  severe  wound,  which 
compelled  him  to  be  carried  off  the  field.  It  was  fortunate  that 
Dr  Kerr  Cross  was  present,  as  about  forty  of  the  expedition  were 
wounded.  For  several  days  afterwards  the  strain  upon  the  party 
was  severe,  all  of  them  becoming  worn  out  with  watching  day  and 
night. 

A  third  expediton  started  from  the  south  in  the  Ilala  at  the  end 
of  May,  consisting  of  twenty  white  men,  headed  by  Captain 
Lugard,  •}•  the  well-known  African  traveller.  Dr  Cross  again 
accompanied  this  expedition  to  act  as  surgeon.  Mr  Sharpe  also 
marched  north  with  one  hundred  and  ninety  Tonga.  At  Karonga 
all  the  parties  met,  and  several  powerful  chiefs  came  to  their  help. 
For  two  miles  the  sand  was  covered  with  the  huts  of  friendly 
people.  The  attack  on  the  Arabs  was  made  at  dawn  on  1 6th  June ; 
but  the  story  is  again  one  of  defeat  and  disappointment.  It  may 
be  best  told  in  the  graphic  words  of  Dr  Cross  : 

"  2  2nd  June, — For  the  last  few  days  I  have  been  so  busy  with 
our  wounded  that  no  opportunity  has  presented  itself  of  writing 

*  Makanjira  afterwards  ordered  the  massacre  of  Captain  Maguire  and  other 
British  officers,  with  the  result  that  he  was  severely  punished  and  driven  from 
the  country  by  the  British  Commissioner. 

t  Now  Colonel  Lugard,  C.B. 


IN  PERILS  OFT  277 

you.  Alas  !  I  have  only  to  record  disaster.  '  Attack  repulsed — 
prepare  to  remove  wounded,'  was  the  message  sent  me  after  the 
fight  had  lasted  for  some  three  hours.  We  had  moved  on  i6th 
June,  and  by  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  every  company  was  in 
its  position,  lying  in  trenches  around  Kopa-Kopa's  village.  I 
remained  at  a  large  tree — '  the  Doctor's  tree ' — in  charge  of  the 
baggage  and  ambulance  goods,  on  a  gentle  eminence,  about  1000 
yards  from  the  village.  The  attack,  I  knew,  was  to  be  made  shortly 
after  five.  Just  as  the  sun  began  to  redden  the  east,  at  5.25,  a 
wild  hurrah  was  raised,  and  immediately  three  hundred  guns  poured 
their  volleys  into  the  village.  I  can  never  forget  the  sensations 
that  seized  me  that  morning.  Our  men  with  a  rush  got  up  to 
the  stockade  and  took  it ;  but,  alas  !  they  could  not  get  inside. 
Instead  of  meeting  a  wooden  stockade,  as  they  had  anticipated, 
they  found  a  mud  wall  three  feet  thick,  and  towering  for  some 
feet  above  their  heads,  with  only  small  loopholes  of  some  inches 
in  diameter  through.  I  climbed  a  tree  on  my  right  and  got  a 
view  of  the  death-struggle,  which  continued  for  upwards  of  three 
hours,  when  the  brave  little  band  was  compelled  to  fall  back. 
The  captain  was  shot  through  both  arms,  with  a  bullet  wound 
in  his  chest.  It  was  with  heavy  hearts  that  we  gave  up  the 
struggle  :  but  no  time  was  to  be  lost,  as  the  Arabs  were  at  our 
heels." 

How  long  was  all  this  to  go  on  ?  How  long  were  the  5000  to 
7000  helpless  creatures  around  Karonga  to  be  left  to  the  guns 
of  enraged  Arabs?  The  Lakes  Company,  notwithstanding  their 
rifles  and  men,  could  not  drive  out  these  inhuman  slavers,  who 
seemed  to  be  as  firmly  rooted  in  the  country  as  the  mountains, 
and  who  showed  no  more  indication  of  removal  than  the  latter 
did  of  being  melted  by  sunshine  or  overturned  by  storms.  It 
was  an  important  question,  What  were  the  missionaries  and  others 
now  to  do  ?  They  could  not  withdraw  from  a  soil  enriched  by 
British  energy  and  British  lives.  After  much  anxious  consideration, 
they  determined  to  force  the  question  of  affairs  on  those  in 
authority.  Our  home  Government  was  accordingly  appealed  to 
by  all  the  missionary  and  benevolent  societies  interested  to  take 
immediate  and  strenuous  action.  But,  alas  !  it  refused  to  interfere 
in  any  direct  way,  inasmuch  as  the  country  was  not  British,  and 
it  could  not  exercise  authority  in  it.  Technically,  this  was  correct ; 
but  the  lives  of  Scottish  missionaries  and  others  were  in  danger. 


278  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Besides,  the  cause  was  one  of  civilisation  against  barbarism,  of 
freedom  against  slavery — a  cause,  too,  in  which  the  natives  were 
on  the  side  of  the  Mission.  The  plain  issue  was  whether  Central 
Africa  was  to  be  overrun  by  barbarous  Arabs  and  Mahommedans, 
or  was  to  be  saved  to  Christianity  and  civilisation. 

The  Earl  of  Harrowby  raised  a  discussion  on  the  whole  question 
in  the  House  of  Lords  on  July  6th.  But  Lord  Salisbury's  con- 
cluding words  gave  little  hope  of  any  direct  help :  "  All  the 
Government  could  do,"  he  said,  "  on  the  sea  coast,  all  they  could 
do  diplomatically  within  the  sphere  of  political  effort  in  this 
country  they  would  do ;  but  the  Government  were  certain  they 
would  only  injure  instead  of  promote  their  great  civilising  and 
missionary  efforts  if  they  were  to  convert  them  into  a  cause  of 
war,  the  most  exhausting,  the  most  terrible,  the  least  remunerative 
in  any  sense — war  with  the  countless  savages  who  filled  those 
territories.  They  must  leave  the  dispersal  of  this  terrible  army  of 
wickedness  to  the  gradual  advance  of  civilisation  and  Christianity, 
which  in  these  countries  though  slow,  seemed  now  to  be  sure." 
While  we  give  Government  all  credit  for  its  sympathy  and  good 
intentions,  the  fact  remains  that  no  one  cared  as  did  the  Church 
of  Christ. 

Some  indirect  steps  were,  however,  taken  in  defence  of  the 
Missions  and  Trading  Company.  Through  the  Consul-General  at 
Zanzibar,  the  Sultan  was  moved  to  exercise  his  power  in  the  case 
of  those  Arabs  who  had  attacked  Karonga.  He  sequestrated 
their  property  at  Kilwa,  until  they  should  return  and  explain  their 
conduct.  Then,  on  the  loth  August,  he  sent  a  special  envoy, 
AH  Bin  Suroor,  to  the  spot  to  check  the  war,  and  to  warn  all 
Arabs  around  Nyasa  and  Tanganyika  against  continuing  hostilities 
towards  the  missionaries  and  settlers  there.  His  letter  to  these 
vile  offenders  is  interesting : 

"  I  have  heard  news  of  what  has  been  done  by  you  and  others. 
It  is  very  shameful  to  have  done  this  at  Nyasa.  I  send  you  this 
letter  of  mine  to  let  you  know  that  the  English  have  been  our 
friends  from  time  immemorial.  We  like  each  other.  But  when 
I  heard  what  was  done  to  them  by  you  my  anger  rose  against  you ; 
and  I  know  very  well  that  the  English  people  living  at  Nyasa  are 
not  at  all  inclined  to  do  anything  bad  to  you.  These  missionaries 
are  religious  people,  who  do  not  like  any  disturbances,  and  they 
live  there  to  do  what  is  good  to  themselves  and  others ;  and  it  is 


IN  PERILS  OtT  279 

very  cruel  of  you  that  you  should  have  spoiled  their  places ;  and 
whatever  has  been  done  badly  to  them  is  just  the  same  as  done 
to  us  .  .  .Go  to  them  speedily  and  beg  their  pardon  and  request 
their  forgiveness.  Take  care  that  you  do  not  do  such  a  thing  to 
them  again.  If  you  do  such  a  thing  again  it  will  be  very  bad  for 
you  .  .  .  and  I  will  stop  everyone  sending  you  goods  and  other 
necessaries.  Let  this  be  known  to  you. — Written  by  order,  by 
his  slave. — ABDUL  AZIZE." 

But  this  envoy's  mission  virtually  failed.  The  Arab  leaders 
received  him  with  every  mark  of  respect,  kissing  his  dress,  and 
paying  homage  to  him — and  even  kissing  the  Sultan's  letter — 
but  they  would  not  clear  out.  Mlozi,  especially,  refused  to  budge, 
and  there  could  be  no  permanent  peace  so  long  as  he  remained 
in  power. 

And  so  slavery  and  warfare  continued  to  go  on  at  the  north  end 
of  the  Lake.  Peril  and  death  were  all  around.  Men  and  women 
lived  in  hourly  fear  of  seizure  or  murder  by  these  red-handed 
Arabs.  Thousands  of  people  fled  to  the  camp  at  Karonga,  where 
the  presence  of  the  missionaries  and  the  white  men  gave  them  a 
sense  of  security.  From  all  parts  they  hurried  there,  with  all 
their  cattle  and  belongings,  and  erected  villages  for  themselves 
under  the  shelter  of  these  "  Englishmen."  Often  they  had  to 
wait  for  a  suitable  opportunity,  in  order  to  escape  Arab  attacks. 
Usually  they  fled  at  midnight.  Poor,  naked,  lean  creatures  they 
were,  on  account  of  the  oppression  they  had  borne,  but  right 
glad  were  they  to  be  beside  these  Christian  men.  The  Arabs, 
however,  kept  a  sharp  look-out  for  any  friendly  to  the  Mission  or 
Lakes  Company,  and  showed  them  little  mercy.  They  lay  in  the 
woods  around,  and  whenever  they  saw  natives  fleeing  to  the  white 
man's  camp,  or  creeping  out  from  it  to  gather  leaves,  or  dig  for 
roots,  or  attend  to  their  gardens,  they  at  once  fired  upon  them  and 
captured  their  women.  Dr  Cross  extracted  many  Arab  bullets 
from  the  bodies  of  these  poor  creatures. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  Karonga,  the  station  around  which  the 
fierce  war  was  raging,  was  principally  a  trading  one.  The  fact  is 
that  the  war  was  really  one  between  the  Arabs  and  the  African 
Lakes  Company.  The  missionaries,  whom  these  Mahommedan 
rascals  rather  respected,  were  only  involved  indirectly,  The 
Mission  houses  and  property  at  Mweniwanda  remained  safe 
on  the  whole  during  this  unsettled  time,  although  the  Arabs 


i8o  DAYBREAK  IN  LI7INGSTONIA 

could  have  destroyed  them  again  and  again,  had  they  been 
inclined. 

It  became  evident  to  the  British  Government  that  something 
would  have  to  be  done,  as  the  conflict  had  now  continued  for 
about  two  years;  and  so,  in  the  spring  of  1889,  Sir  H.  H. 
Johnston  was  sent  to  Karonga  by  the  Foreign  Office  to  negotiate 
the  cessation  of  the  war.  He  carried  with  him  the  most  authori- 
tative letters  from  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  to  the  Arabs  on  Lake 
Nyasa,  especially  to  Jumbe  of  Kota-Kota,  the  Sultan's  ostensible 
wali  or  representative.  As  the  Arabs  at  Karonga  were  very 
distrustful,  he  arranged  to  meet  them  in  a  forest  half-way  between 
their  nearest  stockade  and  Karonga,  stipulating  that  both  parties 
should  only  be  accompanied  by  a  small  escort.  The  meeting 
duly  took  place,  and  the  terms  of  a  treaty  were  read  out  to  the 
Arabs.  They  willingly  accepted  it,  as  they  had  been  so  hemmed 
in  within  their  stockades  by  Mr  Fotheringham,  that  they  were 
almost  starving  and  very  thankful  to  agree  to  any  terms.  In 
fact  by  this  time  they  were  so  thoroughly  dispirited  that,  even  if 
Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  had  not  come,  they  would  have  been  obliged 
to  clear  out  within  a  few  months.  So,  owing  more  to  Mr 
Fotheringham's  work  perhaps  than  anything  else,  the  treaty  was 
forthwith  signed.  Peace  was  proclaimed  on  22nd  October, 
and  the  same  day  the  British  flag  was  hoisted  with  all  due 
honours. 

It  was  a  welcome  deliverance  from  anxiety  and  peril.  The 
road  between  the  two  Lakes  had  been  practically  blocked  during 
the  war,  and  the  missionaries  had  suffered  a  good  deal,  having 
been  sometimes  without  food  and  other  necessaries  and  driven  to 
great  straits.  We  need  not  wonder  that  Mr  Bain  died  through 
the  terrible  strain,  that  Dr  Cross  returned  home  invalided,  and 
that  Dr  Laws  became  dangerously  ill  in  the  beginning  of  1890, 
being  indeed  nigh  unto  death.  But  in  the  cessation  of  all 
hostilities,  God  had  mercy  on  us  and  on  Africa. 

The  writer  has  described  the  Arab  war  and  its  accompanying 
perils.  Next  year  Nyasaland  became  a  British  Protectorate.  It 
has  been  said  that  from  that  time  the  Mission  entered  upon  a 
period  of  better  security.  This  is  undoubtedly  true  of  the  regions 
adjoining  the  Lake,  where  life  became  almost  as  much  respected 
as  in  Britain,  and  a  great  deal  safer  indeed  at  Bandawe  than  in 
Whitechapel.  But  still  the  missionaries  were  far  from  safe, 


IN  PERILS  OFT  281 

especially  in  outlying  districts.  Two  such  instances  may  here 
be  mentioned  which  occurred  as  late  as  1895. 

One  refers  to  Chikusi  or  Gomani,  the  young  and  ill-advised 
chief  of  the  southern  Ngoni.  At  first,  this  wanton  disturber 
began  to  frown  upon  the  Livlezi  Mission.  Then,  instigated  by 
his  young  and  reckless  counsellors,  he  showed  his  hostility  in  an 
open  way.  He  issued  an  order  that  only  one  missionary  could 
remain  at  the  Station;  and  later  on  he  mustered  his  army  to 
exterminate  the  white  man  from  his  dominion.  He  threatened 
the  mission  party  for  several  days,  assuring  them  that  their  heads 
would  shortly  be  severed,  and  kept  them  in  such  suspense  that 
they  despatched  messengers  to  Fort  Johnston  for  help.  Through 
the  officer  in  charge  there,  this  troublesome  chief  was  warned  of 
the  result  of  his  actions,  and  was  persuaded  to  remain  quiet  for  a 
time.  His  animosity,  however,  culminated  in  his  attacking  the 
British  Protectorate  in  1896,  and  in  his  subsequent  defeat  and 
death. 

The  other  instance  we  cull  from  the  records  of  the  Mwenzo 
Station,  on  the  Nyasa-Tanganyika  plateau,  where  the  fort  was  at 
first  bravely  held  by  Rev.  Alexander  Dewar  and  his  wife.  When 
these  two  were  journeying  thither  from  Karonga,  and  had  reached 
Chitipa,  near  Mweniwanda's,  they  found  the  whole  district  in  a 
ferment,  owing  to  the  approach  of  a  formidable  army  of  Wemba 
savages,  who  had  been  instigated  by  the  Arabs  to  blockade  the 
Stevenson  Road,  and  prevent  the  missionaries  from  interfering 
with  the  slave-trade.  Many  of  Mr  Dewar's  carriers  on  hearing 
the  news  deserted,  while  the  remainder  absolutely  refused  to 
proceed  any  further.  He  and  his  wife  had  a  trying  and  painful 
time  for  two  and  a  half  days,  the  villagers  being  almost  frantic — 
brandishing  and  throwing  their  spears,  shrieking  wildly,  and 
appealing  most  piteously  to  the  spirits  of  their  departed  chiefs. 
Mr  Dewar  endeavoured  to  comfort  them  by  telling  them  of  the 
one  true  God  who  alone  could  hear  and  deliver  them.  At  last, 
on  hearing  that  the  Wemba  had  retreated,  they  pushed  on,  but  on 
arriving  at  Zoche,  found  it  in  flames,  the  camp  fires  still  smoking, 
while  three  fresh  skulls  horribly  mutilated  were  fixed  on  poles 
planted  right  across  the  road,  the  bodies  having  been  thrown  into 
the  stream  close  by  to  poison  it  for  the  white  men.  Continuing 
their  journey,  they  passed  broken  pots  suspended  on  poles — a 
sign  of  utter  contempt  for  white  people— while  at  one  point  they 


282  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

came  on  a  barricade  with  trails  of  gunpowder.  They  managed 
to  reach  the  Station  in  safety,  but  were  kept  in  great  anxiety  for  a 
long  time  owing  to  repeated  rumours  of  an  impending  Wemba 
attack  on  them.  Their  house  was  to  be  plundered  and  burned, 
and  Mrs  Dewar  carried  off,  while  Mr  Dewar  was  to  have  his  eyes 
gouged  out.  Had  the  attack  been  attempted,  there  would  have 
been  no  hope  except  in  a  hurried  flight  to  one  of  the  trading 
stations,  either  Fife  or  Kawa.  But  most  fortunately,  the  Wemba 
were  deterred,  on  hearing  of  the  capture  and  execution  of  the 
Arab  leader,  Mlozi,  the  instigator  of  the  whole  crusade,  by  the 
British  Commissioner,  and  in  a  short  time  changed  their  attitude 
to  the  Mission,  leaving  Mr  and  Mrs  Dewar  to  breathe  freely  once 
more. 

The  writer  has  referred  to  wars  and  rumours  of  wars.  But  a 
greater  danger  still  that  beset  the  missionaries  was  the  African 
fever,  the  country  near  the  sea  coast,  and  even  as  high  up  as  two 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  being  a  veritable  breeding  ground  for 
it.  Arab  savagery  could  be  repelled,  but  this  could  not  be  so 
easily  overcome.  Let  a  man  get  a  chill,  whether  arising  from 
cold  winds,  tramps  through  wet  grass,  sudden  check  of  perspira- 
tion, or  injudicious  bathing,  and  he  will  speedily  find  himself  in 
the  grip  of  malarial  fever.  The  black-water  type  has  been  found 
to  be  extremely  dangerous. 

This  disease  has  dotted  British  Central  Africa  with  graves,  and 
darkened  its  history  with  sad  memories.  It  has  invalided  many  a 
faithful  missionary,  and  cut  off  others  in  the  prime  of  their  life. 
Over  and  over  again  this  has  happened,  until  now  the  death-roll 
of  the  Livingstonia  Mission  is  not  a  short  one.  Dr  Laws  is  still 
working  on,  but  he  has  had  many  severe  attacks  of  fever,  the  one 
in  1890  being  almost  fatal,  and  he  has  seen  over  a  score  of  the 
Mission  staff  fall  by  his  side.  Filled  with  whole-hearted  devotion 
to  Africa,  they  have  been  cut  off  altogether,  in  the  midst  of  malaria 
and  solitude,  and  lie  buried  beneath  Africa's  soil. 

It  is  a  matter  for  thankfulness  that  as  each  of  these  noble- 
minded  men  has  fallen,  another  has  been  ready  to  "take  the 
colours,"  and  has  stepped  eagerly  to  the  front.  It  is  like  the  old 
story  of  the  conflict  between  two  Scottish  clans.  As  the  claymores 
of  the  enemy  fell  heavily  upon  Hector's  brethren,  one  after 
another  of  them  fell.  But  ever  the  cry  arose,  "Another  for 
Hector ! "  and  always  another  rushed  forward  to  fill  the  blank. 


IN  PERILS  OFT  283 

So,  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  wherever  there  has  been  one 
vacancy,  there  have  been  two  to  fill  it.  Another  for  Christ,  and 
yet  another  has  stepped  forward.  The  call  has  never  been  heard 
in  vain,  and  the  front  line  has  never  been  broken. 

The  danger  from  fever  was  greater  in  earlier  years,  owing  to 
the  uncomfortable  houses  in  which  the  missionaries  were  com- 
pelled to  live.  They  had  to  content  themselves  with  erections 
which  did  little  more  than  protect  them  from  the  sun  and  the 
rain.  The  clay  floors  were  very  unhealthy,  while  the  want  of 
fireplaces  rendered  the  houses  damp  during  the  rainy  season,  and 
more  or  less  unfit  for  living  in.  This  was  shown  by  all  leather 
belts,  boots,  and  similar  articles  becoming  mouldy  in  a  day  or 
two.  It  was  the  same  with  clothes :  wherever  a  part  had  been 
moistened  with  perspiration,  there  mildew  was  sure  to  be  found. 
The  thatch  roofs,  too,  were  nests  of  malaria.  Even  after  months 
of  dry  weather  they  were  found  to  be  wet,  rotting  and  rotten  in 
the  deeper  layers.  Apart  from  the  question  of  health,  this  was 
not  a  satisfactory  state  of  matters.  If  there  is  one  thing  more 
important  than  another,  it  is  that  missionaries  should  be  able  to 
give  their  whole  heart  and  soul  to  their  work.  But  how  can  they 
be  expected  to  do  this,  if  they  are  not  made  at  least  moderately 
comfortable  in  their  houses?  When  they  sacrifice  their  home 
relations,  willingly  venture  into  places  of  barbarism,  and  settle 
down  perhaps  in  some  malarious  region,  it  is  essential  for  the 
successful  carrying  out  of  their  labours  that  they  should  have 
healthy,  comfortable  dwelling-houses. 

This  discomfort,  however,  has  of  late  years  been  considerably 
lessened.  In  1891  the  Livingstonia  Committee,  guided  by  the 
advice  of  Mr  Thomas  Binnie,  of  Glasgow,  and  Dr  Elmslie,  who 
was  at  home  on  furlough,  drafted  instructions  for  the  erection  of 
healthier  houses,  suitable  for  a  Central  African  climate.  Later 
on,  in  1893,  while  Dr  Laws  was  on  furlough,  the  Committee  gave 
more  attention  still  to  this  subject — all  the  more  necessary  now 
when  women  missionaries  were  to  be  sent  out.  Since  then  many 
excellent  improvements  have  been  made.  Indeed,  no  expense 
has  been  spared  to  secure  the  lives  and  comparative  comfort  of 
the  heroic  men  and  women  who  constitute  our  missionary  band 
in  these  dangerous  regions. 

In  other  respects,  also,  the  danger  from  fever  is  now  not  so 
great  as  it  was  in  the  early  days  of  the  Mission.  Greater  know- 


284  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

ledge  has  now  been  secured  on  the  subject.  It  is  now  known 
that  there  is  a  great  range  of  country,  from  2000  to  5000  feet 
above  sea-level,  including  the  Ngoni  plateau,  immediately  to  the 
west  of  the  lake,  where  Europeans  can  live  in  tolerable  comfort. 
Above  that  again,  there  are  highlands,  7000  to  9000  feet  high, 
where  flowers  of  our  own  country  grow,  and  the  climate,  so  far 
from  producing  fever,  can  hardly  be  considered  tropical.  Every 
Livingstonia  missionary,  if  at  all  possible,  now  gets  a  change  of 
residence  from  the  low  level  of  the  lake  to  these  higher  plateaus 
at  one  period  or  other  every  year;  and  furlough  is  granted  at 
least  every  five  years.  These  and  other  precautions  have  done 
much  of  late  years  to  ward  off  the  dangerous  effects  of  the  climate. 
The  British  Government  has  also  taken  up  the  matter  now,  in 
answer  to  a  request  from  all  quarters,  missionary  and  commercial, 
as  well  as  from  the  British  Medical  Association,  and  is  making 
careful  scientific  investigation  on  the  spot  by  means  of  experts, 
with  the  view  of  devising  practical  measures  of  prevention. 

Much  might  be  written  on  the  sufferings  of  the  missionaries 
through  famine.  In  early  days,  especially,  they  were  often  in 
want  of  proper  food.  As  a  rule,  no  flesh  food  could  be  got 
stronger  than  fowls  or  goats.  "The  place  is  growing  rapidly," 
wrote  Dr  Stewart  in  1877,  "the  men  are  working  hard,  and  a 
variety  of  activity  altogether  out  of  proportion  to  the  age  of  the 
place  is  going  on  daily :  but  within  the  present  month  I  have 
noticed  more  debility  among  the  force  than  I  care  to  see,  and  I 
attribute  this  to  the  want  of  sufficient  and  better  food.  I  have 
therefore  taken  the  bull  by  the  horns,  and  ordered  up  from  Algoa 
Bay  a  ton  of  flour,  and  about  half  a  ton  of  salt  beef.  No  man 
is  to  die  for  want  of  these  things  at  least."  This  was  excellent, 
but  it  was  some  months  before  these  supplies  arrived.  Besides, 
such  a  step  could  not  always  be  taken,  owing  to  expense  and 
difficulty  of  transit. 

Unsuitable  food  is  bad  enough,  but  sore  famine  is  worse.  The 
Mission  party  have  often  been  in  the  midst  of  such,  and  suffered 
along  with  the  natives.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread  "  has 
often  had  a  significance  for  them  that  it  has  never  had  in  Scotland. 
Mr  Dewar  had  scarcely  managed  to  plant  the  Mwenzo  Station 
when  famine  overspread  the  district,  and  he  was  compelled  to 
make  a  ten  days'  march  into  German  territory  in  search  of  food 
for  his  men.  Many  of  the  natives  died  of  starvation,  whilst  others 


IN  PERILS  OFT  285 

had  to  subsist  on  wild  roots.  Similarly,  Mr  A.  C.  Murray  tells 
of  a  wide-spread  famine  in  1894,  during  which  many  natives 
succumbed.  He  was  unable  to  secure  much  food,  but  what  he 
did  secure,  consisting  largely  of  the  coarse  bran  of  maize,  he 
distributed  to  the  starving  people.  On  such  occasions,  when  face 
to  face  with  famine,  disease,  and  death,  the  missionaries  felt  their 
utter  dependence  on  the  God  of  Heaven  for  even  the  barest 
necessities  of  life. 

The  dangers  arising  in  Africa  from  wild  beasts  are  well  known. 
Lions,  leopards,  hyenas,  and  other  savage  animals  prowl  about 
even  in  the  day  time,  often  killing  many  people,  injuring  others, 
and  destroying  cattle.  Everyone  has  heard  of  Dr  Livingstone's 
famous  encounter  with  a  lion,  which  bit  through  his  arm-bone. 
Similarly,  his  followers  around  Lake  Nyasa  have  had  many  narrow 
escapes.  While  Dr  Laws  and  Dr  Elmslie  were  searching  for  a 
suitable  site  for  the  Training  Institution,  they  were  awakened  one 
night  by  a  lion  tearing  open  their  tent,  and  it  was  only  through 
great  presence  of  mind  that  they  managed  to  drive  off  this  daring 
king  of  the  forest.  Such  attacks  are  exceedingly  common  in  some 
districts.  In  1895  the  Vice-Consul  at  Deep  Bay  sent  three  men 
who  had  been  severely  lacerated  by  lions  to  Dr  Laws  for  treatment. 
One  of  these,  along  with  a  woman  and  a  boy,  had  been  attacked 
by  a  family  of  lions.  The  boy  escaped,  and  the  man,  with  his 
back  against  a  tree,  kept  the  lions  at  bay,  but  was  frightfully 
wounded.  He  managed  to  climb  the  tree,  and  from  his  position 
saw  the  woman  eaten.  He  was  four  days  in  the  tree  before  he 
ventured  down  and  crawled  to  Deep  Bay.  Leopards  are  even 
more  dangerous,  and  generally  lurk  on  branches  of  trees  over- 
hanging a  game  walk.  In  1895  Mr  A.  C.  Murray  had  to  be 
invalided  home,  owing  to  having  been  wounded  by  one  of  these 
beasts. 

From  what  has  already  been  said  in  this  chapter,  it  will  be  seen 
that  few  people  at  home  realize  all  that  missionary  life  in  such 
regions  involves.  We  know  that  there  are  many  missionary  fields 
where  no  great  sacrifices  are  required.  There  are  many  places 
where  the  work  advances  easily,  where  no  dangers  are  heard  of, 
where  the  dark  spectres  we  have  described  are  never  seen.  To 
speak  of  all  missions  as  if  they  were  subject  to  the  same  conditions 
would  be  incorrect,  as  if  all  the  world  had  but  one  climate  or  one 
race.  But  we  do  say  that  there  are  missions,  especially  pioneer 


286  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON/A 

ones,  where  very  real  and  painful  sacrifices  are  required.  And  this 
one,  in  the  heart  of  the  African  continent,  may  well  stand  among 
the  foremost  in  this  respect,  judging  at  least  from  its  earlier 
history. 

Have  our  readers  ever  followed  the  history  of  a  missionary  to 
these  and  similar  parts  ?  Let  them  consider  what  it  means.  Here 
is  a  Christian  man  interested  in  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  He 
weighs  the  relative  claims  of  Christian  work  at  home  and  in 
degraded  lands,  and  resolves  to  devote  his  strength,  his  abilities, 
his  young  manhood  to  the  latter  field.  He  does  not,  perhaps, 
receive  many  expressions  of  sympathy  or  interest,  but  is  told 
candidly  by  some  that  his  enthusiasm  is  misplaced.  He  is  even 
looked  upon  by  a  few  with  contemptuous  pity.  But  he  obeys 
Christ's  call  to  the  plenteous  harvest  of  heathendom.  In  the 
prime  of  his  days  he  leaves — it  may  be  for  ever — all  that  is  dear 
to  him  at  home.  He  gives  up  comfort  and  ease,  enlightened 
human  fellowship  and  brotherly  relations,  the  charm  of  current 
literature,  and  the  delights  of  civilisation — all  as  precious  to  him 
as  to  any  human  being.  He  does  so  under  the  profound  con- 
viction of  duty  to  Christ — that  Christ  who  has  said,  "  He  that 
loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  Me  is  not  worthy  of  Me,"  "  He 
that  forsaketh  not  all  that  he  hath  cannot  be  My  disciple."  He 
goes  voluntarily  into  exile  to  a  barbarous  country  to  spend  his 
years — and  the  best  of  his  years — amid  wild  and  often  ungrateful 
people.  He  might  have  stayed  at  home,  with  friends  on  every 
hand,  and  become  the  honoured  minister  of  a  rich  congregation, 
where  many  of  God's  children  would  wait  on  him  for  the  Bread  of 
Life  and  lighten  his  work.  But  instead  he  chooses  to  go  where 
he  will  be  deprived  of  all  such  comforts.  He  crosses  the  ocean, 
penetrates  into  the  heart  of  heathenism,  and  settles  down  many 
days'  journey  from  the  nearest  white  man.  Here  he  does  much 
of  the  hard  physical  work  at  the  Station,  acquiring  and  reducing 
to  writing  more  than  one  neighbouring  language,  and  working 
day  after  day  at  a  high  pressure,  in  the  face  of  enormous  difficulties 
and  dangers. 

Little  do  some  people — and  good  Christian  people,  too — think 
of  the  misrepresentations,  the  bitter  trials  and  agonies,  the  fevered 
body  and  wearied  soul  which  such  a  messenger  of  the  Gospel  has 
sometimes  to  endure.  He  is  not  a  man  that  spends  his  years  in 
Elysian  comforts,  as  many  an  arm-chair  critic  at  home  does,  but 


IN  PERILS  OFT  287 

oftentimes,  like  the  first  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  "  in  weariness  and 
painfulness."  He  does  not  dwell  year  by  year  in  a  land  of  light 
and  liberty,  but  in  realms  of  horrid  barbarism  and  revolting 
superstitions,  amid  spectacles  of  shame  and  misery. 

And  worst  of  all,  perhaps,  are  the  heartsore  disappointments 
that  fall  upon  him.  He  finds  the  natives  so  indifferent  and 
apathetic,  and  after  many  weary  months  he  can  tell  of  no  great  work 
accomplished.  He  feels  as  if  he  were  climbing  a  steep  hill  and 
always  falling  back.  Sometimes  in  days  of  darkness  he  becomes 
disheartened  and  overwhelmed,  and  this,  along  with  the  almost 
unbearable  heat,  and  the  want  of  proper  food,  enervates  his  frame 
and  saps  his  strength. 

He  pulls  himself  together  again,  perhaps,  as  only  a  hero  can 
do,  and  sets  out  to  visit  his  nearest  brother  missionary,  eighty 
rniles  away,  who  is  lying  ill  for  want  of  medicine.  He  has  to 
tramp  all  the  way  through  great  tracts  of  damp  forest,  but  he 
gladly  submits  to  the  discomfort.  When  returning,  he  finds  the 
rivers  rapid  and  swollen.  Rain  pours  down  upon  him  for  days, 
during  which  time  he  walks  in  a  soaked  and  miserable  condition. 
He  reaches  "home" — if  it  can  be  called  home — but  is  much 
worse  than  when  he  left.  Acute  fever  has  got  him  in  its  grip, 
and  after  a  week  of  restless  tossing,  he  passes  away  to  the  land  of 
rest.  A  brief  reference  to  the  fact  is  published  in  one  or  two 
of  our  daily  papers,  but  most  people  take  no  notice  of  it,  and  few 
care  anything  at  all  about  it — another  instance  of  Henry  Taylor's 
words — 

"  The  world  knows  nothing  of  its  greatest  men." 

All  this  is  no  fanciful  picture.  It  has  been  enacted  in  various 
parts  of  Africa,  even  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission.  If  the  patience, 
faith,  sacrifices,  and  sufferings  of  our  Livingstonia  missionaries 
were  fully  made  known,  they  would  be  found  to  equal,  if  not  to 
surpass  anything  yet  written  in  African  missionary  chronicles. 

No  doubt  there  have  been  missionaries  of  whom  these  things 
cannot  be  said.  Let  us  not  seek  to  hide  the  fact.  The  names 
of  some  cannot  be  mentioned  without  deep  regret,  for  they  have 
lived  anything  but  a  noble  life,  and  sunk  into  unhonoured  graves. 
But  such  instances  are  strange,  as  they  are  sad.  Let  us  not 
judge  the  ninety  and  nine  by  the  one  that  leaves  the  fold.  There 
are  sincere,  faithful  souls,  who  are  striving  in  foreign  parts  for  the 
good  of  men,  and  of  whom  the  world  is  not  worthy.  Would  that 


288  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON1A 

men  and  women  could  realise  the  value  of  an  honest  missionary ! 
What  a  type  of  noble  manhood  he  is !  Instead  of  ignorantly 
heaping  ridicule  upon  this  Divine  work,  they  would  then  feel  glad 
that  in  addition  to  war-drums  and  battle-cries,  in  the  presence  of 
the  slave-driver's  lash,  and  amid  the  selfishness  of  unsanctified 
commerce,  there  is  in  many  a  dark  place  of  the  earth  at  least  one 
calm,  unselfish,  chivalrous  man,  who  is  teaching  a  nobler  life, 
denouncing  evil  customs,  protesting  against  vile  laws,  and  fighting 
without  bloodshed  for  the  oppressed  and  down-trodden  people. 
We  know  that  a  few  travellers  have  said  hard  things  against 
missionaries,  but  if  that  hero  of  travel,  Mr  H.  M.  Stanley,  con- 
fessed to  having  "ill-understood  them  many  and  many  a  time," 
very  probably  there  are  many  more  in  the  same  category. 

Verily,  men  who  thus  take  their  lives  in  their  hands  for  the 
good  of  their  fellow-men,  and  whose  work  is  a  record  of  tears  and 
life's  blood  spent  for  that  great  object,  are  the  true  heroes  of  the 
world.  They  are  imitators  of  Him  who  came  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost.  They  are  followers  of  the  most  magnificent 
and  perfect  standard  of  human  life. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
OUR  CLAIM  TO  NYASALAND 

IN  sketching  the  history  of  a  Central  African  Mission,  it  is  necessary 
that  something  should  be  said  about  Britain's  influence  in  these 
parts,  and  the  assistance  she  has  given  to  our  missionaries.  At 
present  Britain  possesses  about  two  and  a  half  millions  of  square 
miles  in  Africa,  including  the  region  immediately  to  the  west  of 
Lake  Nyasa,  where  our  Livingstonia  missionaries  are  labouring. 
Her  possession  of  this  region,  connecting  her  Protectorate  on  the 
Upper  Nile  with  her  Empire  south  of  the  Zambesi,  is  unquestion- 
ably due  to  the  existence  of  British  missionaries  there,  without 
whom  the  whole  of  it  would  have  fallen  to  Portugal  or  Germany. 

Not  long  after  the  settlement  of  our  missionaries  at  Bandawe 
Britain  strengthened  her  footing  in  the  district,  principally  in 
answer  to  the  repeated  requests  of  the  missionary  bodies  interested. 
The  deputation  of  missionary  and  commercial  agents  which  visited 
the  Foreign  Office  in  February  1885,  immediately  after  the  Berlin 
Conference,  had  as  its  object  not  merely  the  abolishing  of  slavery 
in  the  Shire-Nyasa-Tanganyika  region,  but  also  the  declaration  of 
that  whole  district  as  British  in  the  line  of  what  Lord  Derby  was 
asked  to  concede  so  early  as  1875  ;  and  not  merely  by  personal 
visits  at  the  Foreign  Office,  but  by  joint  memorials  from  all  the 
churches  and  societies  interested,  Her  Majesty's  Government 
was  again  and  again  requested  to  take  action  in  the  matter. 
British  protection  and  administration  were  not  objected  to  by 
the  natives — they  were  even  desired  by  them,  because  of  the 
respect  which  they  had  for  the  "  English." 

But  before  1885  was  far  advanced,  it  was  evident  that  stronger 
measures  would  have  to  be  taken,  and  as  speedily  as  possible,  if 
British  interests  in  Nyasaland  were  to  be  safeguarded.  For  all 
Europe  had  by  this  time  come  to  realise  the  existence  of  Africa, 
measuring  about  5000  miles  in  length,  and  nearly  as  much  in 
breadth,  and  having  an  area  of  about  12,000,000  square  miles. 
T  ,89 


«9Q  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

Ever  since  the  three  months'  sitting  of  the  Berlin  Conference,  at 
which  representatives  from  about  twenty  nations  were  present, 
this  huge  Continent  had  become  specially  interesting  to  all  civilized 
countries.  Its  millions  of  naked,  barbarous  human  beings,  con- 
tinually fighting  among  themselves,  and  being  murdered  by 
prowling  Arabs,  claimed  their  attention.  Its  grain  also,  its  ivory, 
gold,  and  slaves  had  an  extraordinary  interest;  and  it  is  not 
surprising  that  the  most  powerful  European  Governments  were 
anxious  for  a  share  of  this  remarkable  land,  with  such  vast 
possibilities  of  future  gain  hidden  within  it.  Portugal,  France, 
and  Germany,  in  their  scramble  for  new  and  fertile  territory,  all 
began  to  lay  claim,  in  some  way,  to  East  Central  Africa,  Nyasaland 
included.  "Thoughts  of  this  period,"  says  Stanley,  "from  1885 
to  1890,  remind  me  of  the  way  my  black  fellows  used  to  rush 
with  gleaming  knives  for  slaughtered  game  during  our  travels." 
In  fact,  the  whole  affair  would  have  been  somewhat  amusing  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  serious  aspect  of  it. 

Portugal,  especially,  used  all  her  power  to  secure  Nyasaland, 
being  desirous,  among  other  things,  of  a  new  opening  for  her 
trade,  which  was  in  a  deplorable  state  at  Kilimane  and  on  the 
Zambesi.  For  several  years  she  had  pursued  an  aggressive  policy 
on  the  Shire.  As  early  as  1882  the  Governor  of  Mozambique 
had  attempted  to  advance  Portuguese  limits  to  a  distance  of  about 
sixty  miles  up  the  Shire  Valley,  although  Her  Majesty's  Foreign 
Office  had  insisted  for  years  before  that  Portuguese  rule  did  not 
extend  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  Shire ;  and  the  Governor  would 
have  asserted  this  new  position  by  force  of  arms,  and  advanced  it 
further,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  timely  interference  of  the  Lakes 
Company  and  the  missionaries.  Later  on  the  Portuguese  made 
various  ineffectual  attempts  at  annexation.  Just  before  the  death 
of  Mponda  in  1886,  they  sent  up  to  him  to  say  that  the  country 
was  to  be  put  under  Portuguese  authority,  that  he  would  be 
allowed  to  rule  his  own  territory,  subject  to  Portuguese  control, 
and  that  no  resistance  need  be  offered,  as  they  were  coming  with 
thirty  ships  to  enforce  their  rule.  It  was  evident  that  Portugal 
intended  at  the  first  suitable  opportunity  to  place  the  whole  Shire 
region  under  the  Portuguese  flag. 

Of  all  the  nations,  however,  anxious  for  African  territory,  Britain 
had  certainly  the  greatest  right  to  Nyasaland.  In  fact,  it  was  in 
a  special  sense  the  protege  of  Britain,  a  kind  of  Scotland  in  Africa, 


OUR  CLAIM  TO  NT  AS  ALAND  291 

bound  to  this  country  not  only  by  traditions  of  Livingstone,  but 
also  by  long  years  of  noble  effort  and  lavish  expenditure ;  and  it 
was  but  right  that  Britain,  with  her  strong  arm  and  pitiful  heart, 
should  look  after  her  own. 

Strenuous  efforts  were  therefore  made  at  this  time  to  prevent 
Portugal  or  any  other  country  stepping  in.  In  February  1886, 
a  conference  was  held  in  the  offices  of  the  African  Lakes  Com- 
pany, Glasgow,  at  which  Consul  O'Neill  of  Mozambique,  Dr  Laws, 
and  all  parties  interested  in  the  Shir£  and  Nyasa  districts  were 
represented.  As  a  result,  a  petition  was  forwarded  to  Lord 
Rosebery,  then  Foreign  Minister,  requesting  him  to  take  measures 
to  obtain  from  the  Portuguese  Government  commercial  and  frontier 
arrangements  for  Nyasaland  similar  to  those  incorporated  in  the 
lapsed  Congo  Treaty,  which  would  leave  the  British  community 
there  in  undisturbed  possession.  Public  meetings  were  also  held 
in  various  cities,  and  repeated  representations  made  to  Govern- 
ment on  the  matter.  Then,  in  the  end  of  the  year,  a  two  days' 
conference  was  held  in  London,  calling  once  more  upon  Her 
Majesty's  Government  to  consider  the  matter  and  lay  claim  at 
once  to  the  Nyasa  territory,  gifted  to  Britain  by  David  Living- 
stone and  occupied  by  his  followers.  Again,  in  February  1887, 
large  meetings,  under  the  united  auspices  of  the  three  Presbyterian 
Churches  of  Scotland,  the  Lakes  Company,  and  the  Scottish 
Geographical  Society,  were  held  in  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow  with 
the  same  end  in  view. 

But  in  1887,  about  the  time  of  the  Arab  war  at  the  north  end 
of  the  Lake,  there  began  a  period  of  serious  international  turmoil 
in  connection  with  the  matter.  The  writer  need  not  refer  to  this, 
except  briefly  as  bearing  on  the  Livingstonia  Mission  and  British 
influence  in  Nyasaland. 

The  Portuguese  Government  was  the  first  to  openly  interfere 
with  the  status  quo  by  gravely  increasing  the  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  British  authority  at  the  Lake,  turning  out  to  be  an  assailant 
as  dangerous  as  the  Arab  man-stealer  and  more  insidious.  It 
put  into  execution  its  oft  repeated  threat  to  inflict  a  commercial 
tariff  of  such  a  kind  as  would  make  British  existence  there  an 
impossibility.  It  virtually  closed  the  mouth  of  the  great  Zambesi 
river,  the  only  waterway  into  Nyasaland,  declaring  it  to  be  under 
Portuguese  control,  and  forbidding  the  use  of  it  to  all  vessels 
unless  these  were  owned  and  manned  by  Portuguese.  Its  author- 


292  DAYBREAK  IN  LiriNGSTONIA 

ities  actually  seized  the  stern-wheel  steamer,  the  James  Stevenson, 
belonging  to  the  Lakes  Company ;  and  although  it  was  afterwards 
released,  in  consequence  of  the  intervention  of  Her  Majesty's 
Government,  it  was  intimated  that  within  four  months  the  vessel 
would  have  to  be  transferred  to  Portuguese  owners. 

This  was  unreasonable,  for,  according  to  a  tariff,  fixed  at 
Mozambique  in  1877  by  the  Lisbon  Government,  the  freedom 
of  the  Zambesi — or  Luabo,  as  the  Portuguese  call  it — and  the 
Shire"  had  been  granted  to  Europeans  on  the  payment  of  a  small 
transit  duty  of  three  per  cent,  ad  valorem ;  and  from  that  time, 
British  goods  for  missionary  and  commercial  purposes  had  been 
taken  up  the  country  on  these  terms,  and  British  vessels  had 
steamed  up  the  rivers  without  any  opposition.  It  was  owing, 
indeed,  to  this  satisfactory  tariff  arrangement,  and  with  the  approval 
of  the  Portuguese  Government,  that  the  African  Lakes  Company 
had  been  formed  in  1878.  The  promoters  of  the  Company  had 
every  reason  to  expect  that  there  would  be  no  prohibition  of 
transit  in  the  future,  and  that  the  Mozambique  tariff  would  be 
permanent.  But  now  this  amicable  arrangement  was  to  come 
to  an  end,  and  all  missionary  and  commercial  labours  along  with 
it.  A  prohibitive  tariff  of  ten  per  cent,  was  to  be  imposed,  and 
the  territories  of  the  Zambesi  were  to  be  exploited  for  the  exclusive 
advantage  of  Portugal,  instead  of  being  open  to  the  whole  world, 
as  hitherto.  The  lives  and  welfare  of  the  Scottish  missionaries, 
which  depended  largely  on  the  unrestricted  entrance  of  supplies 
from  the  coast,  seemed  to  be  of  little  consequence. 

On  communication  being  opened  up  with  Portugal,  it  was  found 
not  only  that  she  considered  the  Zambesi  a  Portuguese  river,  over 
which  she  had  complete  freedom  of  action,  but  that  she  claimed, 
by  right  of  prior  discovery,  the  whole  of  Nyasaland,  as  far  north 
as  Kota-Kota  on  the  west  of  the  Lake  and  the  Rovuma  River  on 
the  east.  This  was  a  decided  blow  to  the  Livingstonia  Mission, 
and  it  came,  alas !  at  a  time  when  the  missionaries  were  in  deep 
water  with  the  storms  of  Arab  persecution.  It  was  no  pleasant 
thing  to  be  beset  behind  and  before — to  be  attacked  on  the  one 
side  by  Arab  desperadoes,  whose  depopulating  inroads  were  the 
curse  of  Central  Africa,  and  to  be  assailed  on  the  other  side,  more 
insidiously  but  not  less  dangerously,  by  the  Portuguese  authorities, 
who  were  anxious  to  reap  the  fruits  of  Scottish  missionary  and 
commercial  labours. 


OUR  CLAIM  TO  NT  AS  ALAND  293 

The  claim  of  Portugal  was  objected  to  for  several  reasons.  In 
the  first  place,  it  was  known  that  the  sovereignty  of  the  Portu- 
guese would  not  prove  an  unmixed  blessing.  Many  of  their 
settlements  in  Africa  had  had  a  corrupt  and  contaminating 
influence,  being  largely  made  up  of  convicts.  The  very  worst 
results  had  followed  from  the  introduction  of  such  settlers  near 
the  coast,  and  the  presence  of  such  men  among  tribes  under  the 
influence  of  British  missions  would  be  a  deplorable  event.  The 
Portuguese  were  believed  to  have  an  indirect  sympathy  with  slavery 
— as  Livingstone  and  our  own  missionaries  had  observed — and 
they  might  continue  to  uphold  this  species  of  villainy.  They 
would  introduce  strong  drink  to  the  ruin  of  the  country ;  they 
would  oppress  the  natives  to  their  own  selfish  ends ;  they  would 
throw  the  door  wide  open  to  Papal  emissaries  and  their  attendant 
evils ;  and  they  would  effectually  put  a  stop  to  British  commerce 
and  Protestant  missionary  enterprise,  as  they  were  already  trying 
to  do.  Without  doubt,  if  the  future  of  Nyasaland  depended,  as 
it  certainly  did,  on  the  civilising  and  Christianising  capacity  of 
the  European  nation  that  took  it  in  hand,  then  Portugal  had 
proved  her  utter  unfitness  for  the  task ;  and  it  was  in  the  interests 
of  Africa  and  of  mankind  at  large  that  an  effectual  caveat  should 
be  entered  against  the  claims  of  this  decaying  little  State  to  carry 
into  these  regions  the  paralysing  and  degrading  influence  which  she 
had  exercised  in  the  Zambesi  delta. 

In  particular,  however,  the  claim  was  unjust,  and  no  more  to  be 
regarded  than  the  famous  Papal  brief  of  four  hundred  years  ago, 
which  partitioned  the  new  world  between  Portugal  and  Spain,  for 
all  unbiassed  authorities  were  agreed  that  Britain  had  the  only 
reasonable  right  to  the  territory.  The  case  for  Portugal  may  be 
briefly  stated.  About  four  centuries  ago  the  Portuguese  had  taken 
possession  of  part  of  the  eastern  coast.  They  had  founded  the 
colony  of  Mozambique  as  early  as  1497,  and  had  settled  down  at 
a  few  isolated  points,  being  assisted  largely  by  the  Canares  or 
half-caste  natives  of  Goa,  in  India.  They  had  also  explored  the 
Zambesi  for  about  four  hundred  miles,  founding  Sena,  Tete, 
Zumbo,  and  other  trading  stations  on  its  banks.  Now  and  again, 
too,  in  these  palmy  days,  Portuguese  "  conquistadores  "  and  ivory 
traders  had  wandered  from  the  Zambesi  to  barter  amidst  neigh- 
bouring tribes,  penetrating  westward  into  the  region  of  the  Batoka, 
and  northwards  to  the  Maravi  country  and  the  watershed  of  Lake 


294  DAr BREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONU 

Nyasa,  where  they  discovered  the  gold  deposits  of  Misale,  which 
they  worked  for  about  a  hundred  years.  In  the  seventeenth 
century,  a  Portuguese  named  Jasper  Bocarro,  is  stated  to  have 
carried  samples  of  Zambesi  silver  overland  from  Tete  to  Malindi, 
a  Portuguese  town  to  the  north  of  Mombasa — being  thus  the  first 
European  who  crossed  the  upper  Shir£  river.  At  the  end  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  Dr  Lacerda,  a  distinguished  Portuguese 
scientist  from  Coimbra  University,  is  said  to  have  headed  an 
expedition  of  seventy-five  white  Portuguese  and  journeyed  from 
Tete  to  Kazembe's  country,  adjoining  Lake  Mweru,  accompanied 
by  two  Goanese  named  Pereira,  who  had  previously  been  there  on 
a  gold-hunting  expedition.  Later  on,  other  Portuguese  travellers 
are  said  to  have  visited  Kazembe's  country  and  rambled  over 
much  of  South  Central  Africa,  but  like  their  predecessors,  except 
Dr  Lacerda,  none  of  them  possessed  any  scientific  qualifications, 
or  left  behind  them  any  political  influence. 

But  all  the  same,  whatever  may  have  happened  centuries  ago, 
the  jurisdiction  of  Portugal  was  now  mainly  limited  to  the  coast 
Up  the  river,  and  especially  away  inland,  she  exercised  no  sway — 
a  fact  which  was  fully  confirmed  by  an  exhaustive  examination 
made  by  Professor  Batalha  Reis  on  behalf  of  the  Portuguese 
Government.  Nyasaland,  in  particular,  was  entirely  beyond  her 
limits,  as  she  could  show  neither  occupation  nor  political 
supremacy  there  on  which  to  found  her  claim.  In  1863,  when 
Bishop  Tozer  was  robbed  at  Morambala,  near  the  confluence  of 
the  Zambesi  and  Shire*,  and  applied  to  the  Governor  of  Sena  for 
redress,  the  latter  replied  that  Morambala  was  outside  Portuguese 
jurisdiction.  Even  as  late  as  1884  Portugal  had  her  fiscal  frontier 
at  Chimwara,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Shire,  where  goods  in  transit 
were  verified  as  being  for  the  interior.  Moreover,  by  the  Congo 
Treaty  of  1884,  she  formally,  and  without  reluctance,  admitted 
that  she  had  no  valid  claim  to  Nyasaland,  and  was  ready  to 
arrange  that  her  claim  should  not  pass  beyond  the  confluence  of 
the  Ruo  and  Shire  rivers.  Although  this  treaty  was  never  ratified, 
owing  to  a  mistake  in  regard  to  the  Congo,  and,  technically  speak- 
ing, was  not  in  force,  it  was  a  tangible  record  of  the  views  of  the 
two  Governments,  and  was  morally  and  diplomatically  binding 
upon  Portugal. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  case  for  Britain  was  based  upon  the 
right  of  discovery,  right  of  occupation,  right  of  administration,  and 


OUR  CLAIM  TO  NTASALAND  195 

right  of  treaty.  Thirty  years  before  this,  Dr  Livingstone,  on  his 
second  expedition,  had  explored  the  Zambesi  by  appointment  of 
the  British  Government,  being  commissioned  to  open  it  up  as  a 
waterway  to  the  interior.  He  was  the  bearer  of  a  despatch  from 
the  Earl  of  Clarendon  to  Sekeletu  (who  at  that  time  was  considered 
the  paramount  chief  on  the  Zambesi)  saying,  "This  is,  as  all  men 
know,  God's  pathway ;  and  you  will,  we  trust,  do  all  that  you  can 
to  keep  it  a  free  pathway  for  all  nations,  and  let  no  one  be  molested 
when  travelling  on  the  river."  At  this  time  the  Shire  tributary  was 
unknown  to  the  Portuguese  except  in  its  lower  parts ;  but,  along 
with  Sir  John  Kirk,  G.C.M.G.,  he  made  three  successive  trips  on 
this  river,  tracing  it  to  its  source  and  bringing  to  light  the  mag- 
nificent inland  sea  of  Lake  Nyasa  * ;  and  he  also  searched  the 
whole  district  on  foot,  discovering  Lake  Shirwa  and  many  other 
geographical  features.  In  fact,  he  spent  about  five  years  at  this 
time,  amid  extraordinary  difficulties,  in  a  persistent  exploration 
of  the  Zambesi,  the  Shire  Valley,  and  Lake  Nyasa.  Subse- 
quently, on  his  third  expedition,  he  travelled  westward  beyond 
the  great  Luangwa  River,  discovering  Lake  Tanganyika,  Lake 
Mweru,  the  Luapula  River,  and  Lake  Bangweolo.  Most  of  the 
district,  indeed,  which  Portugal  was  now  claiming,  was  discovered 
and  thrown  open  by  this  distinguished  Scotch  Missionary. 
"  The  country,"  he  said,  "  is  now  open  ;  do  not  let  it  be  shut 
again." 

With  this  great  waterway  opened  up,  Britain  then  engaged 
through  her  missionaries  to  respond  to  God's  call,  and  bring 
Christianity  and  peace  to  the  dov/n-trodden  land.  England  and 
Scotland,  Episcopalians  and  Presbyterians,  missionaries  and  traders 
united  in  the  noble  effort.  They  wrought  hard  to  improve  the 
condition  of  the  people,  and  were  now  working  harder  still — 
working  at  high  pressure — not  only  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Nyasa, 
but  on  its  islands  also,  and  on  the  uplands  to  the  west  and  east. 
The  Scotch  Churches  had  now  fifty  representatives  in  actual 
occupation  of  the  land,  the  English  Universities'  Mission  some 
eighteen  representatives,  and  the  1  akes  Company  over  twenty-five ; 
while  Messrs  Buchanan  Brothers  had  many  workers  at  Zomba,  where 

*  It  has  been  asserted  that  the  servants  of  a  Portuguese  subject  pointed  out 
the  Lake  to  Livingstone  ;  but  this  has  been  abundantly  disproved  by  a  letter 
from  Sir  John  Kirk  himself  in  the  Times  of  January  7th,  1890,  in  which  he  shows 
that  "there  is  not  the  smallest  foundation  of  truth  in  the  statement." 


296  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

the  British  Consulate  was  situated.  The  chiefs  were  being  in- 
structed in  methods  of  civilisation,  schools  were  spread  over  the 
country,  the  various  languages  were  being  reduced  to  writing, 
commerce  was  steadily  developing,  the  tribes  were  beginning  to 
see  the  unprofitableness  of  selling  their  sons  and  daughters,  and 
the  name  of  Christ  was  being  written  on  the  hearts  of  thousands 
who  once  lived  in  ignorance  and  savagery.  The  missionary 
societies,  commercial  companies,  and  others  interested,  had  spent 
about  half  a  million  sterling  in  this  work,  and  had  sacrificed  many 
lives  in  carrying  it  on. 

Such  was  Britain's  claim.  The  writer  has  no  desire  to  cast 
unjust  aspersions  upon  the  Portuguese,  or  to  misrepresent  their 
motives,  as  was  often  done  in  the  British  press  during  this  acute 
time.  Nevertheless,  the  reader  will  see  that  Portugal,  with  no 
apparent  missionary  or  benevolent  interest,  was  now  attempting  to 
drive  Britain  from  these  fertile  regions,  opened  by  Dr  Livingstone, 
and  possessed  by  these  British  missionaries  and  merchants  for  so 
many  years !  And  it  was  not  a  matter  affecting  the  Living- 
stonia  Mission  only  :  the  Blantyre  Mission  of  the  Established 
Church  in  the  Shire  district,  the  English  Universities'  Mission 
in  East  Nyasa,  and  the  commercial  companies  were  alike 
sufferers. 

This  was  a  matter,  therefore,  that  required  strict  and  immediate 
settlement  in  the  interests  of  missionary  and  commercial  progress. 
It  would  not  do  to  walk  out  of  Nyasaland  because  Portugal  was 
anxious  to  walk  in.  "  It  will  be  better,"  wrote  Horace  Waller,  "  if 
we  put  our  backs  to  the  door-post,  and  insist  that,  inasmuch  as  it 
has  taken  nearly  thirty  years  to  force  open  this  door  into  savagedom, 
without  demur  or  protest  on  the  part  of  Portugal,  it  is  not  going 
to  be  closed  now.  By  everything  that  is  British,  it  cannot  be, 
and,  by  all  the  interests  present  and  to  come — which  are  British 
— it  must  not  be."  *  It  would  certainly  have  been  a  scandal 
and  an  undying  disgrace  to  the  countrymen  of  Livingstone  if 
they  had  allowed  the  fruits  of  his  labours  to  be  wasted  and 
destroyed  without  lifting  a  finger  or  uttering  a  word  to  save 
them. 

Efforts  were  made  without  delay  to  lay  the  matter  before  the 
public,  and  influence  the  British  Government.  These  efforts  were 
made  by  all  the  Churches  and  societies  interested — the  three 
*  "Title-Deeds  to  Nyasaland,"  by  Horace  Waller,  F.R.G.S.,  p.  37. 


OUR  CLAIM  TO  NY  AS  ALAND  297 

Presbyterian  Churches  of  Scotland,  the  Universities'  Mission,  the 
Lakes  Company,  and  Messrs  Buchanan  and  Company  of  Mount 
Zomba.  They  did  not  plead  so  much  for  a  British  Protectorate, 
or  that  the  country  should  be  annexed,  as  that  they  should  be  freed 
from  Portuguese  interference,  and  left  alone  to  do  their  own  work. 
They  made  it  known  that  they  did  not  object  to  Government 
taking  any  action  that  it  thought  best,  so  long  as  the  proprietary 
rights  of  the  Missions  were  recognised,  and  the  freedom  to  carry 
on  work  were  guaranteed  to  the  Missions  as  well  as  to  the  Lakes 
Company,  through  whom  the  Missions  received  supplies ;  and  if 
such  guarantees  were  given  as  would  secure  the  free  navigation  of 
the  Zambesi  and  its  affluents,  with  not  more  than  a  three  per 
cent,  tariff,  the  protection  of  the  natives  against  the  introduc- 
tion of  intoxicating  liquors,  and  the  suppression  of  the  slave- 
trade. 

In  a  memorial  to  Government  in  1888,  in  connection  with  the 
Arab  war,  this  whole  matter  was  referred  to.  Government  was 
especially  asked  to  "  secure  free  or  favourable  transit  as  speedily 
as  possible  for  British  goods  in  British  vessels  from  the  coast  into 
the  interior,"  and  to  "declare  Nyasaland,  from  the  Ruo  river 
northwards,  a  sphere  of  British  influence."  Representatives  from 
the  Churches  and  societies  interested  also  held  a  most  important  and 
influential  conference  at  Westminster,  on  24th  April  1888,  with 
members  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament.  Lord  Balfour  of  Burleigh, 
Lord  Rosebery,  and  Lord  Aberdeen  took  part.  Then,  three 
days  afterwards,  the  Prime  Minister,  Lord  Salisbury,  received  at 
a  confidential  interview  the  representatives  of  the  three  Missions 
and  of  the  Societies  interested.  As  Foreign  Secretary,  he  promised 
that  an  unimpeded  waterway  would  be  opened  up  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  that  Portugal  would  not  be  allowed  to  interfere  with 
Nyasaland.  He  was  alive  to  the  dangers  that  would  otherwise 
result,  and  was  anxious  to  act  for  the  highest  interests  and  the 
good  of  all  parties  concerned.  A  conference  on  the  matter  was 
also  held  in  Manchester  on  1 8th  May,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Geographical  Society  there,  at  which  resolutions  were  passed, 
urging  upon  the  Government  the  necessity  of  taking  immediate 
action.  Dr  Greenwood,  Principal  of  Owen's  College,  presided, 
and  was  supported  by  Bishop  Smithies,  Professor  Lindsay,  Rev. 
Horace  Waller,  Dr  Cust,  Rev  L.  Scott,  and  many  others  interested 
in  Nyasaland. 


298  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

In  the  House  of  Commons  distinct  and  definite  assurances 
were  repeatedly  given  by  Sir  James  Ferguson  to  the  effect  that  the 
Government  did  not  recognise  the  unlimited  claims  of  Portugal 
to  the  Zambesi  river  or  to  Nyasa  territory.  In  the  House  of 
Lords,  too,  on  July  6th,  Lord  Salisbury  said,  "The  conduct  of 
Portugal  cannot  be  spoken  of  without  considerable  blame.  It  is 
claimed  that  Portugal  has  the  right  to  all  that  zone  stretching 
from  Mozambique  on  the  Indian  Ocean  to  Angola  on  the  Atlantic, 
but  the  claim  can  only  be  made  by  some  extraordinary  doctrine 
of  constructive  acquisition.  I  believe  it  rests  on  a  decree  of 
Pope  Alexander  VI.,  of  saintly  memory  ;  but  how  far  that  can  be 
admitted  as  an  international  ground  I  will  not  discuss.  France 
and  Germany  have  admitted  the  claim  of  Portugal,  subject  to  any 
rights  other  Powers  may  have ;  this  country  has  not.  But  upon 
this  claim  Portugal  builds  a  further  claim — that  the  Zambesi  is 
hers  also.  But  there  is  territory  beyond,  which  is  not  Portuguese, 
and  with  which  we  have  some  connection ;  and  we  have  also 
interests  of  an  undefined,  though  very  interesting,  character  with 
respect  to  those  splendid  movements  of  British  energy  and 
enthusiasm  shown  on  Lake  Nyasa ;  and  the  Government  has 
informed  Portugal  that  we  are  unable  to  admit  this  claim  to 
the  possession  of  the  Zambesi."  These  and  other  pledges 
from  Government  gave  much  hope  to  all  concerned,  especially 
as  it  was  at  this  time  that  the  Lakes  Company  were  threatened 
by  armed  Arabs  around  Karonga,  and  its  brave  little  party  of 
agents,  who  had  ordered  up  ammunition  from  Natal  and 
Zanzibar,  could  not  get  it  up  the  river  to  defend  their  lives 
and  property. 

But  Portugal  continued  to  insist  on  her  claim,  and  thus 
difficulties  and  complications  arose.  The  Portuguese  Government 
presented  folios  of  traditions  claiming  the  honour  of  discovering 
Lake  Nyasa.  It  brought  to  light  dubious  titles  to  Central  Africa, 
gleaned  out  of  ancient  maps  and  books  of  travel ;  and  it  went 
back  four  hundred  years  to  the  adventures  of  Vasco  de  Gama  and 
other  long-forgotten  exploits — all  of  which  were  mere  archaeological 
arguments,  proving  that  there  was  a  time  when  Portugal  knew 
something  of  the  geography  of  the  inland  regions,  but  had 
forgotten  it  until  Livingstone  and  his  successors  revealed  it  anew 
to  the  world.  It  was  out  of  reason  to  revert  to  conditions  that 
problematically  existed  in  a  former  age,  and  ignore  all  that  had 


OUR  CLAIM  TO  Nr AS  ALAND  299 

happened  since.  The  fact  of  essential  importance  was  that 
Nyasaland  was  not  under  the  effective  government  or  occupation 
of  Portugal,  and  that  if  any  part  of  Central  Africa  ever  was  so, 
which  was  very  doubtful,  that  occupation  had  ceased  during  an 
interval  of  more  than  two  centuries.  All  that  time  the  Portuguese 
authorities  had  made  no  offer  to  establish  even  the  semblance  of 
an  effective  government,  or  to  commence  the  restoration  of  their 
alleged  dominion. 

Yet,  with  a  persistence  so  great  as  to  be  hardly  described, 
Portugal  protested  that  she  was  in  the  right,  although  there  was 
little  doubt  that  Portuguese  officials  had  never  seen  Nyasaland 
until  two  or  three  years  before  this  question  arose ;  and,  in  spite 
of  remonstrances  from  Britain,  she  continued  to  retard  British 
progress  and  civilisation  around  the  Lake.  Several  months  passed 
away;  and  although  the  Government  had  repeatedly  pledged 
themselves  to  help  the  missionaries,  the  Zambesi  still  continued 
to  be  closed  as  tight  as  ever,  and  negotiations  seemed  to  be  no 
further  advanced.  Britain  was  halting,  while  Portugal  was  advanc- 
ing with  unusual  energy.  The  Mozambique  authorities  despatched 
Lieutenant  Cardoso,  in  the  end  of  1888,  with  a  mixed  multitude 
of  Inhambane  natives  and  others  to  the  southern  end  of  Lake 
Nyasa,  to  take  immediate  possession  by  founding  a  Portuguese 
colony  there ;  and  a  "  religious  mission,"  consisting  of  Jesuit 
priests,  was  appointed  to  co-operate.  All  this  led  to  continued 
remonstrances  on  the  part  of  missionaries,  traders,  and  other 
friends.  "  Nothing  can  possibly  be  more  murderously  wicked," 
wrote  Horace  Waller  in  his  usual  energetic  manner,  "than  to 
raise  up  the  hearts  and  hopes  of  these  unfortunate  tribes  of  Africa, 
only  to  dash  every  aspiration  to  pieces — to  double  their  darkness 
by  suddenly  flashing  a  lamp  and  then  putting  it  out.  Why  send 
your  Livingstones,  your  Kirks,  your  Mackenzies  ?  Why  subscribe 
your  tens  of  thousands  to  fortify  your  African  Lakes  Company 
and  your  splendid  missions  on  lake  and  shore,  and  then,  when 
the  pinch  comes — as  come  it  always  will — why  mismanage  in  this 
way?"* 

At  the  beginning  of  1889,  however,  Her  Majesty's  Government 

took  a  step  forward  by  appointing  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  to  visit 

Lisbon,  and  by  personal  intercourse  with  the  Portuguese  authorities, 

endeavour   to  bring   about  some  settlement  of  the  matter.     He 

*  "  Some  African  Entanglements,"  p.  6. 


300  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGS1VNIA 

spent  about  six  weeks  there,  in  conjunction  with  Sir  George  Petre, 
discussing  the  subject  and  drawing  up  a  draft  arrangement 
acceptable  to  the  Portuguese  Foreign  Minister.  This  draft,  how- 
ever, was  really  a  compromise,  and  did  not  exclude  the  Shire 
Highlands  from  Portuguese  rule.  It  might,  perhaps,  have  been 
altered  in  that  respect  and  made  satisfactory ;  but  the  British 
Government  was  not  inclined  to  bring  the  matter  to  an  immediate 
conclusion,  owing  partly  to  the  impossibility  of  reaching  Nyasaland 
without  first  passing  through  Portuguese  territory  at  Kilimane, 
and  partly  to  financial  difficulties  in  the  way  of  administering  such 
inland  regions. 

Matters  in  Africa,  instead  of  improving  during  1889,  grew  worse 
than  ever.  The  Mission  was  not  merely  troubled  with  Portuguese 
aggression  and  with  ruthless  interference  of  its  traffic  on  the 
waterway,  but  supplies  and  correspondence  were  hindered  and 
obstructed.  Letters,  both  private  and  official,  were  either  con- 
fiscated or  kept  back  at  Kilimane.  Missionary  property  was 
detained  on  the  river.  A  piece  of  high-handed  aggression  also 
took  place,  a  Portuguese  expedition  under  Major  Serpa  Pinto, 
consisting  of  nine  hundred  soldiers,  most  of  them  Zulus  and 
convicts,  being  moved  forward  from  Kilimane  towards  Lake 
Nyasa.  According  to  explanations  given  by  the  Portuguese 
Foreign  Minister,  this  imposing  expedition  was  only  a  scientific 
one,  and  intended  for  the  Upper  Zambesi  and  the  Luangwa 
River ;  but  instead,  it  entered  the  Shire,  and  proceeded  north- 
wards to  the  Makololo  region,  with  the  secret  object  of  annexing 
the  headquarters  of  the  whole  country,  viz.,  the  healthy  uplands 
of  Mandala,  Blantyre,  and  Zomba,  including  the  road  made  by 
James  Stewart,  C.E.,  at  the  cost  of  the  Free  and  Established 
Churches.  It  was  a  crisis.  The  Church  could  not  plunge  the 
country  into  war  to  gain  its  point :  it  rather  looked  anxiously  for 
a  conciliatory  outcome.  But  if  diplomatic  correspondence  were 
to  fail,  what  was  to  be  done  ? 

During  this  vexatious  time,  correspondence  continued  to  go 
on  between  a  large  joint-committee  of  the  three  Presbyteries  in 
Edinburgh  and  Her  Majesty's  Government.  Lord  Salisbury  gave 
further  assurance  that  he  would  settle  the  matter  favourably,  but 
nothing  practical  seemed  to  be  done.  Additional  strenuous  efforts 
were  therefore  made  by  the  missionary  and  other  bodies.  A  large 
public  meeting  was  held  in  Edinburgh  on  February  25th,  1889, 


OUR  CLAIM  TO  NY  AS  ALAND  301 

when  it  was  unanimously  agreed  to  appoint  a  deputation  "  to  wait 
upon  Lord  Salisbury  and  lay  before  him  the  views  of  the  meeting." 
This  deputation,  consisting  of  representatives  from  all  the  bodies 
concerned,  was  called  to  London  on  April  i2th,  on  a  few  hours' 
notice.  Dr  George  Smith,  the  principal  spokesman,  laid  before 
the  Premier  very  plainly  the  state  of  feeling  in  Scotland,  and 
assured  him  that  no  compromise  with  Portugal  was  possible,  and 
that  the  existing  state  of  things  was  much  to  be  preferred  to  any 
recognition  of  Portuguese  supremacy,  however  slight.  Three  days 
after  this  interview  another  public  meeting  was  held  in  Glasgow, 
presided  over  by  the  Lord  Provost,  Sir  James  King,  Bart,  at 
which  there  was  strong  speaking  on  the  subject.  Large  public 
meetings  were  also  held  in  other  cities  to  the  same  effect ;  and 
then,  on  xyth  May,  another  deputation  was  received  by  Lord 
Salisbury,  backed  up  by  a  contingent  of  some  of  the  most  earnest 
and  thoughtful  of  the  Scotch  Peers,  as  well  as  a  goodly  number  of 
Scotch  Members  of  Parliament.  A  memorial  was  presented,  signed 
by  upwards  of  eleven  thousand  ministers  and  elders,  urging  the 
Government  to  take  steps  to  secure  a  satisfactory  settlement  of 
the  question.  In  reply,  Lord  Salisbury  practically  stated  that 
nothing  could  be  done.  The  obstruction  on  the  Zambesi,  caused 
by  high  tariff  dues  and  prohibitory  regulations,  must  remain  so 
long  as  Portugal,  who  held  the  sea-board,  chose  to  have  it  so; 
while  in  regard  to  Portuguese  annexation  in  Nyasaland,  all  fears 
of  such  a  thing,  he  believed,  were  groundless.  "  I  should  as  soon 
expect  to  be  told,"  he  said,  "that  there  is  a  danger  that  Portugal 
will  sail  into  Table  Bay  and  annex  Capetown.  There  is  no  danger 
of  any  such  thing."  This  was  a  strange  response  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  Major  Serpa  Pinto's  warlike  expedition  was  at  this  time 
en  route  to  Lake  Nyasa  with  the  intention  of  annexing  the  country. 
As  Lord  Salisbury  discovered  afterwards,  the  missionaries  were 
right. 

The  outlook  was  very  dark.  But,  fortunately,  it  was  about  this 
time — the  spring  of  1889 — that  an  important  discovery  was  made 
known  to  the  world,  which  completely  altered  the  whole  political 
aspect  of  the  matter,  and  led  the  Government  to  a  speedy  decision. 
The  greatest  difficulty  had  been  the  fact  that  Nyasaland  could 
only  be  advantageously  approached  from  the  outer  world  by 
Kilimane  and  the  Kwakwa  River,  thus  necessitating  a  preliminary 
journey  through  Portuguese  territory  before  reaching  the  Zambesi, 


302  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

and  giving  Portugal  the  opportunity,  which  it  had  so  well  used,  of 
inflicting  heavy  custom  duties  and  placing  serious  hindrances  in 
the  way  of  British  immigration.  Her  Majesty's  Government  had 
repeatedly  asserted  the  freedom  of  the  Zambesi  as  an  international 
highway  and  Britain's  right  in  some  way  to  Nyasaland,  but  had 
been  hampered  in  the  formation  of  any  decisive  policy  by  this 
apparently  insuperable  difficulty.  Fortunately,  however,  at  this 
time  Mr  Daniel  J.  Rankin,  who  had  been  exploring  the  Zambesi 
delta  under  the  auspices  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society, 
discovered  the  Chinde  mouth,  and  found  that  it  had  a  short 
and  safe  bar,  with,  at  least,  seventeen  feet  of  water  at  high  tide. 
This  navigability  of  the  Chinde  River  was  a  discovery  of  the 
greatest  political  importance,  as  it  threw  the  inland  regions  wide 
open  to  Britain  without  the  necessity  of  touching  Portuguese 
soil. 

This  new  circumstance,  together  with  promises  of  financial  and 
other  help  made  by  the  British  South  Africa  Company,  which  was 
at  this  time  in  process  of  formation,  dispelled  all  anxieties.  Her 
Majesty's  Government  now  felt  justified  in  forming  Nyasaland  and 
all  the  adjoining  regions  of  Central  Africa  north  of  the  Zambesi 
into  a  British  sphere  of  influence.  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  was 
accordingly  sent  out  in  the  summer  of  1889  to  Nyasaland  to  take 
measures  to  secure  the  country  north  of  the  Ruo  from  Portuguese 
aggression  by  concluding  treaties  of  friendship  with  the  native 
chiefs.  He  crossed  the  bar  of  the  Chinde  without  difficulty  in 
H.M.S.  Stork,  to  the  surprise  of  the  Portuguese  officials  at 
Mozambique  and  the  unbounded  astonishment  of  the  natives, 
who  had  never  seen  so  large  a  vessel  enter  before.  On  proceed- 
ing up  the  Shire,  he  found  Serpa  Pinto's  formidable  expedition 
encamped  near  the  Ruo  with  the  intention  of  entering  the 
Makololo  territory  and  seizing  South  Nyasaland ;  but  pushing  on 
before  it,  he  managed  to  conclude  treaties  with  all  the  Makololo 
and  Yao  chiefs  in  favour  of  Britain,  and  then  proceeded  to  the 
north  end  of  the  Lake. 

The  Portuguese,  however,  determined  to  conquer.  In  the 
absence  of  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  at  the  north  end,  Serpa  Pinto's 
Lieutenant,  named  Coutinho,  suddenly  crossed  the  Ruo  at  the 
head  of  four  thousand  men  armed  with  Gatling  guns,  seized 
Chiromo,  which  he  strongly  fortified,  and  marched  up  both  sides 
of  the  Shire,  driving  the  Makololo  before  him,  and  destroying 


OUR  CLAIM  TO  NTASALAND  303 

many  of  their  villages — and  all  this  under  the  pretext  of  preparing 
maps  and  making  a  survey  for  a  Shire  railway !  His  forces 
advanced  as  far  as  Katunga  (Port-Blantyre),  violently  hauting 
down  the  British  flags,  and  were  about  to  occupy  Blantyre,  when 
Lord  Salisbury  saw  the  necessity  of  taking  strict  action.  He  was 
convinced  that  the  time  had  come  when  his  measures  for  the 
protection  of  British  rights  in  Nyasaland  must  take  a  more 
effective  shape  than  that  of  diplomatic  negotiation  at  Lisbon,  or 
the  interchange  of  long  dispatches  with  the  Portuguese  Foreign 
Minister.  Now  that  an  appeal  to  force  had  been  made  by 
Portugal,  only  one  course  remained  open.  He  dispatched  an 
Ultimatum  on  January  nth,  1890,  demanding  the  recall  of  the 
Portuguese  forces,  officials,  and  expeditions  of  any  kind  whatso- 
ever from  the  banks  of  the  Shire  river  beyond  the  confluence 
of  the  Ruo.  This  immediately  put  a  stop  to  all  further  aggres- 
sion, and  compelled  the  Portuguese  to  withdraw  to  their  own 
territory. 

In  spite  of  Portuguese  pretensions,  treaties  in  favour  of  Britain 
were  concluded  throughout  all  Nyasaland  and  away  on  the  Nyasa- 
Tanganyika  Plateau,  some  of  the  tribes  welcoming  British  protec- 
tion with  expressions  of  the  warmest  friendship  and  enthusiasm — 
thanks  to  the  benevolent  and  Christian  work  of  our  missionaries. 
With  the  energetic  assistance  of  Mr  Alfred  Sharpe,  and  shortly 
afterwards  of  Mr  Joseph  Thomson,  treaties  were  also  made  with 
all  the  powerful  native  chiefs  on  the  Central  Zambesi  and  Luangwa 
River,  and  in  the  regions  adjoining  Lake  Mweru.  Before  much  of 
1890  had  passed  away,  a  sphere  of  British  influence  was  established 
from  the  Ruo  River,  all  over  the  Shire  Highlands  and  Nyasaland, 
and  up  to  Lake  Tanganyika  and  the  Congo  Free  State,  ever  after- 
wards to  be  organised  administratively  as  "  British  Central  Africa." 
This  excellent  result  was  undoubtedly  due  to  the  representations 
to  Government  so  persistently  made  in  public  and  private  by  the 
missionary  and  other  bodies  interested. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  result  spoilt  a  pretty  plan  of  the 
Papacy.  It  turned  out  that  Cardinal  Lavigerie,  the  founder  of 
the  "  White  Fathers,"  who  had  made  themselves  so  prominent  at 
Uganda,  had  made  arrangements  with  the  King  of  Portugal  to 
occupy  the  new  "  Portuguese  Provinces  of  the  Shire  and  Nyasa." 
As  early  as  July  1889  a  most  imposing  function  had  been  held  at 
Algiers,  when,  in  the  presence  of  over  one  hundred  ecclesiastics, 


3o4  DATBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

and  amid  a  crowd  of  the  laity,  with  gorgeous  processions  and 
magnificent  music  (in  which  the  Portuguese  National  Hymn 
was  prominent),  six  missionaries  were  consecrated  for  Nyasaland. 
Cardinal  Lavigerie,  who  performed  the  act  of  consecration,  referred 
to  the  splendid  work  of  those  devout  sons  of  the  Church,  Lieu- 
tenant Cardoso  and  Serpa  Pinto.  This  was  significant,  and  we 
all  understand  what  it  would  have  meant.  Romish  missionaries 
armed  with  powers  partly  from  Rome  and  partly  from  Lisbon 
would  have  flooded  the  country,  and  interfered  most  intolerably 
with  the  Protestant  work  there,  making  sedulous  and  systematic 
efforts  to  seduce  the  converts,  as  they  had  done  in  Uganda  and 
other  parts.  It  is  strange  that,  with  all  wide  Africa  before  them, 
they  should  have  adopted  such  unworthy  tactics.  It  cannot  be 
called  magnanimous,  but  it  proves  that  the  Romish  Church  was 
not  sleeping  while  Africa  was  opening  up. 

It  still  remained  to  make  definite  arrangements  with  the 
Portuguese  regarding  the  exact  delimitation  of  the  country,  the 
use  of  the  rivers,  and  other  matters.  These  arrangements  could 
not  be  made  at  once,  and  were  hindered  by  the  long-delayed 
settlement  of  an  Anglo-Portuguese  Convention.  But  in  May 
1891,  a  final  agreement  was  arrived  at  We  have  not  space  to 
make  any  extracts  from  the  treaty,  but  Nyasaland  was  therein 
declared  British,  and  the  missionary  and  commercial  stations  were 
made  independent  of  Portugal  for  ever.  Free  navigation  was 
secured  for  British  vessels  on  the  Zambesi  and  Shire  rivers  while 
the  former  was  also  thrown  open  as  an  international  highway  to 
vessels  of  every  flag. 

Not  long  after  this  amicable  settlement  with  Portugal,  there 
were  difficulties  which  arose  with  Germany,  which  claimed  to 
develop  her  East  African  settlements  from  Uganda  to  the  Rovuma 
River,  with  the  rights  of  colonisation  to  Tanganyika  and  the 
northern  shores  of  Lake  Nyasa.  So  far  as  the  Livingstonia 
Mission  was  concerned,  the  chief  difficulty  was  regarding  the 
territory  in  the  north  of  Nyasaland,  lying  between  the  two  Lakes 
and  crossed  by  the  Stevenson  Road.  There  seemed  to  be  a  great 
probability  of  Germany  taking  possession  both  of  this  fine  Plateau 
and  of  the  beautiful  Konde  country  at  the  extreme  north  of  the 
Lake.  On  learning  this,  the  Assembly  of  1890,  in  its  Deliverance 
on  Foreign  Missions,  deprecated  any  attempt  to  hand  over  this 
region,  so  long  in  British  possession,  and  marked  with  the  graves 


OUR  CLAIM  TO  NT  AS  ALAND  305 

of  those  who  had  fallen  in  opening  it  up,  and  they  directed  the 
Committee  to  memorialise  Government  on  the  matter.  Living- 
stone had  discovered  and  pointed  out  this  neck  of  land  as  part  of 
the  great  highway  to  Central  Africa.  Our  missionaries  had  ex- 
plored it,  had  found  favour  with  the  people,  had  constructed  the 
road  at  immense  cost  and  peril,  and  were  busy  carrying  the  Gospel 
along  it.  It  was  but  right,  therefore,  that  this  whole  region 
should  be  preserved  from  other  hands,  and  given  over  to  British 
enterprise. 

Negotiations  were  at  this  time  being  carried  on  at  Berlin  with 
the  view  of  harmonising  the  rival  claims  of  the  two  countries  to 
various  disputed  territories  in  Africa,  and  representations  were 
accordingly  made  to  the  British  Government  by  all  parties  con- 
cerned. The  Free  Church  Foreign  Mission  Committee  entered 
into  correspondence  with  Lord  Salisbury  and  Sir  H.  Percy 
Anderson.  Public  action  was  likewise  taken;  but  the  result, 
made  known  in  July  1890,  was  a  disappointment  to  the  Mission, 
for  the  Songwe  River  was  made  the  delimiting  line,  and  thus  only 
part  of  the  Konde  district  was  placed  within  the  British  sphere. 
The  healthy  part  at  the  extreme  north  of  the  Lake,  in  which  lay 
the  Kararamuka  Mission  Station,  was  sacrificed  to  Germany. 
The  Foreign  Mission  Committee  strenuously  endeavoured  to 
have  the  matter  altered,  but  without  success.  Dr  Stewart  of 
Lovedale,  who  happened  to  be  home  on  furlough  at  the  time, 
waited  on  the  African  Department  at  the  Foreign  Office,  and 
submitted  a  memorandum  asking  a  satisfactory  rectification 
of  the  boundary  line.  Later  on  Dr  Kerr  Cross  and  Mr 
Monteith-Fotheringham  did  the  same.  But  the  Foreign  Office 
declared  it  impossible  to  re-open  the  question,  and  so  the 
matter  ended. 

The  general  result  obtained,  however,  both  with  Portugal  and 
Germany,  in  the  delimitation  of  spheres  of  influence  was  satis- 
factory and  gratifying.  It  placed  the  Missions  on  a  better  footing, 
producing  a  feeling  of  security  in  their  work,  and  it  put  an  end  to 
a  situation  which  had  become  perfectly  untenable  in  the  Lake 
regions  of  Central  Africa.  A  stretch  of  country,  of  about  500,000 
square  miles,  which  extended  up  to  the  river  Songwe,  and  included 
the  rich  table-land  between  the  two  Lakes,  and  the  district  of 
Lake  Bangweolo,  where  Livingstone  died,  was  now  declared  to  be 
British  territory — bounded  on  the  east  by  German  and  Portuguese 
u 


306  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

possessions,  on  the  north  by  the  Congo  Free  State  and  German 
East  Africa,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Portuguese  Province  of 
Angola.  The  small  eastern  portion  of  this  immense  territory  was 
made  a  Protectorate,  to  be  administered  directly  by  the  Imperial 
Government,  while  the  rest  was  handed  over  to  the  British  South 
Africa  Company. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK 

THE  writer  has  sketched  the  marvellous  extension  of  the  Mission, 
from  Bandawe,  as  a  centre,  into  wild  Ngoniland  and  other  far-off 
regions,  and  shown  its  Divine  influence  on  slavery,  war,  super- 
stition, and  other  evils  rampant  in  the  country.  But  it  must  be 
remembered  that  during  all  this  time,  while  the  missionaries  were 
planting  Stations  on  every  hand  and  opposing  Africa's  evils,  they 
were  also  doing  a  noble  work  of  a  more  direct  kind — preaching 
the  Gospel  in  all  its  living  power,  healing  the  sick,  imparting  a 
Christian  education,  and  leading  the  people  into  civilisation. 
The  rapid  progress  made  in  this  fourfold  work  since  1881,  when 
they  removed  to  Bandawe,  is  nothing  short  of  miraculous,  proving 
how  faithfully  and  heroically  they  have  wrought  day  after  day  for 
the  good  of  Central  Africa,  "  becoming  all  things  to  all  men,  that 
they  might  by  all  means  save  some."  A  glance  at  the  work 
accomplished  since  that  date  will  convince  the  reader  of  this. 

EVANGELISTIC 

As  stated  in  a  previous  chapter,  the  Evangelistic  Department 
was  the  principal  one.  It  was,  of  course,  conducted  to  a  much 
wider  extent  at  Bandawe  than  at  Cape  Maclear,  owing  to  the 
large  number  of  populous  villages  in  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood. The  missionaries  not  only  held  regular  services  at  the 
Bandawe  Station,  but  carried  the  Gospel  tidings  into  these  sur- 
rounding villages.  The  work  was  by  no  means  easy,  for  the 
whole  district  was  enveloped  in  a  moral  and  spiritual  midnight, 
in  which  debasing  superstition  and  other  evil  powers  reigned 
supreme;  so  that  their  preaching  was  constantly  hindered,  their 
lives  were  often  imperilled,  and  their  way  was  blocked  by  difficulties 
almost  insuperable.  But  they  laboured  patiently  and  persistently 
amid  the  darkness,  trusting  in  the  supreme  power  of  heaven,  and 


jo8  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

being  as  sure  of  the  final  result  as  they  were  of  the  earth  beneath 
and  the  stars  overhead. 

As  an  instance  of  what  was  regularly  done  around  Bandawe  as 
soon  as  the  missionaries  had  removed  to  that  place,  we  quote  a 
few  lines  from  a  letter  of  Dr  Hannington's,  written  in  1881.  "The 
Sabbath  School  is  held  at  seven  o'clock  morning.  The  regular 
service  is  held  about  half-past  nine  in  the  open  air.  There  was 
a  large  number  present.  No  doubt,  curiosity  brought  many  of 
them ;  still,  some  word  may  have  found  lodgment  in  their  hearts, 
and  it  shows  us  that  there  are  in  our  vicinity  many  souls  for 
whom  we  must  labour  and  pray.  In  the  afternoon  no  fewer  than 
eight  meetings  were  held  in  the  surrounding  district.  The 
members  of  the  Mission  Staff  go  in  different  directions,  each 
accompanied  by  one  or  more  of  the  natives  who  have  been 
longest  in  connection  with  the  Mission.  I  accompanied  Dr  Laws. 
We  walked  out  into  the  country  for  about  three  quarters  of  an 
hour ;  then,  near  to  one  of  the  villages,  we  took  our  seat  in  the 
shade  of  a  tree,  while  the  natives  gathered  from  two  or  three  of 
the  nearest  villages,  till  there  would  be  between  seventy  and  eighty. 
Some  verses  of  a  hymn  were  sung,  prayer  offered,  and  a  short 
address  given ;  then  the  meeting  was  closed  by  singing,  followed 
by  the  Lord's  Prayer,  in  which  all  engaged.  We  next  went  to 
another  village  at  some  distance,  and  there  a  similar  meeting  was 
held,  at  which  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  were  present.  From 
that  we  proceeded  to  a  third  village,  where  also  there  was  a  very 
good  meeting.  Mr  Sutherland,  William  Koyi,  Mr  M'Callum,  and 
Albert  were  out  in  other  directions.  In  the  evening  we  had  a 
very  refreshing  service  in  English,  when  Dr  Laws  spoke  from  the 
verse,  '  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace,  goodwill  to 
men.'" 

After  much  arduous  labour  of  this  kind,  there  were  unmistak- 
able signs  that  the  Gospel  was  making  itself  felt.  As  it  wrought 
triumphant  changes  among  Goths  and  Huns,  Celts  and  Slavonians, 
and  wherever  it  has  been  established,  so  it  regenerated  some  of 
the  most  depraved  on  the  shores  of  Nyasa,  transformed  their 
character,  vivified  their  hearts  with  a  divine  life,  and  emancipated 
them  from  the  thraldom  of  heathenism.  On  July  i7th,  1882,  the 
second  convert,  Mvula,  was  baptised,  and,  five  months  afterwards, 
other  three  made  a  similar  public  confession  of  their  faith  in 
Christ.  It  was  a  few  months  later  that  Professor  Henry 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  309 

Drummond  visited  Bandawe,  and  had  the  happiness  of  sitting 
down  at  the  Lord's  Table  with  these  dark-skinned  children  of 
Nyasa.  "  I  cherish  no  more  sacred  memory  of  my  life,"  he  says, 
"  than  that  of  a  Communion  Service  in  the  little  Bandawe  church, 
when  the  sacramental  cup  was  handed  to  me  by  the  bare  black 
arm  of  a  native  communicant — a  communicant  whose  life,  tested 
afterwards  in  many  an  hour  of  trial  with  me  on  the  Tanganyika 
Plateau,  gave  him  perhaps  a  better  right  to  be  there  than  any  of 
us."*  Thus  the  work  advanced  year  after  year,  silently  and 
surely,  until,  ten  years  after  the  missionaries  had  settled  at 
Bandawe,  there  were  over  one  hundred  communicants,  and  nearly 
two  hundred  candidates  for  baptism. 

The  missionaries  received  much  valuable  assistance  from  the 
converts,  who  themselves  became  ardent  evangelists,  and  did  all 
in  their  power  to  spread  the  Gospel.  They  were  not  as  efficient, 
of  course,  as  might  be  desired,  knowing  only  the  mere  rudiments 
of  Christianity,  and  being  inferior  in  literary  acquirements  to  any 
schoolboy  of  nine  or  ten  at  home ;  but  they  had  a  firm  hold  of 
Christ,  and  were  able  to  read  the  New  Testament  with  more  or 
less  fluency.  To  give  them  further  instruction  and  guidance,  a 
"preachers'  class"  was  commenced  at  Bandawe  in  1890.  It  met 
every  Friday,  and  was  taught  at  first  by  Dr  Laws,  who  took  up 
the  lesson  to  be  used  by  these  native  preachers  on  the  following 
Sabbath,  explaining  it  fully  and  writing  notes  on  the  blackboard 
for  them  to  copy  into  their  note-books.  This  was  a  most  import- 
ant and  beneficial  means  of  training,  as  they  showed  great  readi- 
ness in  seizing  upon  the  leading  points  of  any  Gospel  story,  and 
could  vividly  repeat  it,  while  they  also  became  imbued  with  the 
earnest  spirit  of  the  white  missionary,  drinking  in  his  noble  aspira- 
tions and  his  wonderful  plans  for  the  evangelisation  of  Nyasaland, 
and  obtaining  a  zeal  that  no  persecution  could  smother,  and  a 
courage  that  defied  all  opposition.  Then,  early  on  Sabbath 
morning,  before  the  heat  of  the  day  began,  and  the  people  had 
left  their  homes,  these  native  Christians  scattered  themselves  over 
the  neighbourhood,  visiting  villages  many  miles  distant,  and  calling 
on  all  to  give  ear  to  the  message  of  God.  In  this  way  many 
services  were  held  every  Sabbath,  apart  from  those  on  the  Station 
itself,  and  a  wide  circle  of  people  was  reached.  It  was  a  glorious 
work  worthy  of  imitation  at  home !  Here,  for  instance,  is  what 
*  "  Tropical  Africa,"  p.  48. 


3io  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Mrs  Fred  Moir  says  regarding  it :  "  We  stayed  at  Bandawe  from 
Saturday  afternoon  till  Monday  morning,  and  were  much  pleased 
to  spend  Sunday  at  the  Mission.  They  are  all  very  hard  workers, 
and  spare  themselves  in  no  way  so  that  the  work  may  prosper. 
At  nine  o'clock  there  is  a  large  service  at  the  Station,  and  at  the 
same  time  forty  native  evangelists  are  out  holding  meetings  in 
different  villages.  They  all  preach  on  the  same  text,  which  Dr 
Laws  explains  to  them  the  Friday  before."  *  Let  the  reader  realise 
this  remarkable  fact,  that  from  one  Station  alone  no  less  than  forty 
men — all  of  them  natives — should  go  out  in  that  dark  heathen 
land,  Sabbath  after  Sabbath,  to  make  known  the  Gospel  to  their 
fellow-countrymen.  Surely  such  a  work  cannot  be  spoken  of  as 
anything  less  than  extraordinary  !  It  has  of  late  years  been  wonder- 
fully developed  under  the  care  of  Dr  Laws,  who  has  founded  a 
large  and  well-equipped  Institution  at  Livingstonia,  for  the  purpose 
of  training  native  Christians  to  become  evangelists  to  their  own 
countrymen. 

In  addition  to  such  arduous  work  at  the  various  Stations,  the 
missionaries  often  made,  and  still  make,  evangelistic  tours  through- 
out the  country,  lasting  for  several  days,  reminding  us  of  the 
circuits  made  by  Jesus  in  Galilee,  when  He  visited  "  all  the  cities 
and  villages,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  preaching  the  Gospel  of 
the  Kingdom,  and  healing  every  sickness  and  every  disease  among 
the  people."  In  November  1894,  for  instance,  Messrs  M 'Alpine 
and  Scott  made  an  interesting  tour  among  the  Tonga  villages,  taking 
with  them  a  harmonium  and  a  magic  lantern,  and  meeting  with  a 
cordial  welcome  everywhere.  The  tour  only  extended  over  six 
days,  but  at  least  two  thousand  people  attended  the  nine  services 
which  were  held.  In  a  remarkable  little  pamphlet,  entitled 
"Camping  among  the  Ngoni,"  the  late  lamented  Dr  Steele 
describes  a  ten  days'  evangelistic  tour  which  he  made,  accom- 
panied by  a  native  evangelist.  During  this  time  he  visited  nine- 
teen villages,  held  twenty  meetings,  dispensed  medicine  to  three 
hundred  and  twenty  patients,  and  exhibited  the  magic  lantern 
several  times.  In  all,  he  preached  the  Gospel  to  about  two 
thousand  and  six  hundred  people  who  had  never  heard  of  the 
name  of  Jesus.  These  are  but  instances  of  what  is  repeatedly 
done  still  by  our  Livingstonia  missionaries. 

Space  forbids  the  writer  referring  more  fully  to  the  marvellous 
*  "A  Lady's  Letters  from  Central  Africa,"  Glasgow  :  Maclehose  &  Sons. 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  311 

work  of  preaching,  instructing,  and  training,  which  was  carried  on 
year  after  year,  with  amazing  enthusiasm  and  great  expenditure  of 
labour,  in  spite  of  slave-raids,  political  troubles,  war,  and  death. 
It  was  not  in  vain,  however,  any  more  than  the  sun  shines  or  the 
dew  falls  without  a  blessing.  As  in  wild  Ngoniland,  where  the 
glorious  effects  of  the  Gospel  have  already  been  recorded,  so  was 
it  at  Bandawe  and  the  other  Stations.  For  fourteen  years  there 
was  a  gradual  ingathering  of  fruit,  increasing  slowly  year  after 
year;  then,  in  1895,  there  came  a  time  of  remarkable  blessing, 
when  men  and  women,  sick  of  their  gross  heathenism,  flocked 
in  hundreds  to  the  services,  until  no  building  was  large  enough 
to  accommodate  them.  It  was  like  a  great  wind  shaking  an 
orchard.  As  it  rushes  through  the  branches,  the  fruit,  which 
has  been  slowly  and  imperceptibly  ripening,  falls  suddenly  to 
the  ground.  The  owner,  perhaps,  has  seen  it  hanging  on  the 
trees  for  a  long  time;  but  he  has  noticed  little  change  as  the 
days  went  by,  and  he  never  dreamed  that  the  mellow  autumn 
was  so  near.  Suddenly,  however,  the  wind  comes,  and  with  it 
an  unexpected  fall  of  fruit.  So  was  it  at  Bandawe.  The  seed- 
time of  spring  passed  almost  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  into 
the  magnificence  of  autumn.  The  blessing  of  Heaven  descended 
so  richly  and  abundantly  that  there  was  really  not  room  to  receive 
it.  Hundreds  of  people  crowded  eagerly  to  the  services,  giving 
unusual  reverence  and  attention  to  the  Word  preached.  They 
generally  assembled  about  an  hour  before  the  appointed  time, 
and  gathered  till  the  small  schoolhouse  —  the  only  available 
church — was  crammed  to  the  door,  with  an  additional  throng 
outside  on  the  verandah. 

How  great  was  the  awakening  may  be  seen  from  the  fact  that 
within  one  year  the  attendance  at  the  Catechumens'  Class  rose 
from  fifty-two  to  over  two  hundred,  and  at  the  Hearers'  Class 
from  sixty-two  to  about  six  hundred,  while  at  the  Sabbath  services 
it  rose  to  over  one  thousand.  "  It  is  not  idle  curiosity  which  brings 
out  these  crowds,"  wrote  Mr  M 'Alpine,  "but  an  eager  desire  on 
the  part  of  most  to  know  the  Gospel  of  God's  salvation.  Great 
numbers  of  men  and  women  come  to  talk  about  God's  work 
and  '  following  Jesus.'  And  I  have  had  as  many  such  visitors  as 
two  hundred  and  fifty  in  one  week.  Their  simple  stories  of  heart- 
longing  are  very  touching,  and  we  firmly  believe  that  very  many 
have  got  to  see  and  know  Him  who  promises,  'They  that  seek 


312  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

shall  find.'  Nor  is  this  a  new  thing  that  takes  the  fancy  of  the 
young  simply.  Old  men  and  women  come,  and  in  a  subdued, 
tremulous  tone  confess  their  '  past,'  and  end  by  saying  that  they 
wish  now  to  leave  all  these  things  and  seek  God.  Neither  is 
there  a  parading  of  religion  at  church  on  Sabbath,  disassociated 
from  good  conduct  at  home  during  the  week.  The  abominable 
dances,  so  common  a  year  ago,  are  entirely  abandoned  in  this 
neighbourhood ;  and  the  thundering  tomtoms,  that  used  to  break 
many  a  good  night's  rest  for  us,  now  lie  splitting  and  rotting  in 
the  open." 

It  was  a  most  remarkable  manifestation  of  the  Spirit's  power. 
Conviction  of  sin  passed  into  repentance  and  faith,  followed  by 
confession  of  Christ  before  men,  and  all  this  so  rapidly  that  the 
missionaries  were  unable  to  attend  to  the  vast  amount  of  work. 
Matters,  indeed,  reached  such  a  state  at  Bandawe  that  it  was  found 
necessary  to  ordain  elders  and  deacons,  thus  completing  the 
organisation  of  a  Christian  church.  Twelve  earnest,  God-fearing 
men  were  chosen,  who  had  rendered  invaluable  help  in  the  past, 
and  had  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to 
their  fellows.  It  was  a  red-letter  day  in  the  history  of  the  Mission — 
Good  Friday,  1895 — when  they  were  ordained,  and  the  service 
was  a  crowded  and  most  impressive  one.  On  the  following 
Sabbath  an  immense  number  of  people  turned  out  to  the  services. 
"  On  going  along  to  the  school  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning," 
says  Mr  M 'Alpine,  "  I  found  the  building  packed,  the  verandah 
full,  and  the  people  still  trooping  in  at  the  gate.  We  had  to 
adjourn  to  the  shade  of  a  large  '  mkuti '  tree  across  the  way.  It 
was  a  very  touching  and  inspiring  sight  to  face  so  many — old 
grey-haired  men  and  little  boys,  mothers  with  their  babies  strapped 
on  their  backs,  young  men  and  women,  a  mixed  multitude,  chiefs, 
freemen,  and  slaves,  twelve  hundred  at  least.  The  text  for  the 
day  seemed  peculiarly  suited  for  the  occasion — the  angel's  message, 
to  the  sepulchre,  '  Fear  not  ye ;  for  I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus  which 
was  crucified.' " 

Matters  went  on  so  successfully  that  a  building,  which  Mr 
M'Alpine  had  previously  pled  for,  capable  of  holding  five  hundred, 
was  found  to  be  totally  inadequate,  and  in  May  1896,  the  native 
Christians  were  compelled  to  face  the  building  of  a  new  church,  to 
seat  about  fourteen  hundred.  But  they  gladly  promised  both  money 
and  labour — Mr  M' Alpine  receiving  as  many  as  three  hundred 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  313 

curious  "promissory  notes,"  in  addition  to  verbal  offers  of  help. 
They  also  forwarded  a  petition  to  the  Mission  Council,*  and  thence 
to  the  Committee  in  Scotland,  asking  their  assistance.  With  such 
a  large  building,  the  missionaries  will  be  able  to  preach  the 
Gospel  with  more  comfort  to  themselves  and  more  advantage  to 
their  hearers. 

Since  this  remarkable  awakening,  the  work  has  gone  on,  year 
after  year,  with  triumphant  success,  not  only  at  Bandawe  but  in 
north,  south,  and  west  of  Nyasaland,  wherever  the  flag  of  the  Gospel 
has  been  planted.  Several  churches  are  now  fully  organised, 
with  native  Kirk-Sessions.  Whole  tribes,  who  lived  in  the  past 
only  for  warfare  and  plunder,  have  become  anxious  to  learn 
about  the  Saviour.  Fierce  warriors,  who  once  roamed  like  savages 
over  the  country,  spilling  their  brothers'  blood,  are  settling  down 
to  peaceful  lives,  working  honestly  for  their  daily  bread,  and 
willing  to  spend  a  month's  wages  to  buy  a  copy  of  the  Bible. 
Old  men  and  women,  with  only  the  bark  cloth  to  cover  them, 
attend  the  services  side  by  side  with  the  young,  the  contrasting  faces 
telling  a  history  of  changed  days.  Devil  worship,  the  obscene 
dance,  the  poison  ordeal,  the  drunken  feasts,  and  the  many 
corrupt  customs  of  heathen  life  have  given  place  to  the  worship  of 
God.  "  I  have  just  got  back  from  Ekwendeni,"  wrote  Dr  Laws  in 
May  1899,  "where  there  was  a  remarkable  gathering  of  natives 
for  the  sacramental  feast  of  tabernacles.  For  the  first  time  in  all 
my  life,  I  saw  a  communion  flagon  filled  with  water  set  beside  the 
baptismal  fonts,  and  required  to  replenish  the  fonts  getting  empty 
through  the  numbers  baptised.  One  evening,  if  not  oftener,  our 
companions  started  Dr  Elmslie  and  myself  on  recollections  of 
former  days,  and  both  he  and  I  seemed  as  men  that  dreamed, 
in  seeing  what  great  things  the  Lord  hath  wrought."  Surely  all 
this  is  the  Lord's  doing  and  marvellous  in  our  eyes  ! 

As  yet,  no  doubt,  the  Mission  has  hardly  touched  the  fringe  of 
heathenism.  Thick  darkness,  almost  impenetrable,  still  over- 
shadows the  land.  There  are  millions  upon  millions  who  have 
not  even  heard  of  a  God  or  a  Saviour.  But,  with  so  many  signs 
of  success,  there  is  no  room  for  despair.  Through  the  dark  mist 
we  can  see  a  cloudless  future,  resplendent  with  blue  skies  and 
golden  light.  We  can  see  Christianity,  infrangible  as  sunshine, 

*  This  Council,  which  was  formed  in  1886,  is  the  local  representative  of  the 
Committee  at  home. 


3  H  DATEREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

and  far  more  glorious  in  its  effects,  illumining  the  land.  We  can 
see  the  tangled  river-courses  and  the  high  table-lands  irradiated  with 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  even  the  far-off  hills  "  bathed  in 
floods  of  living  fire."  We  can  see  tribes  born  in  a  day,  spears 
and  clubs  cast  away  for  the  Bible,  and  the  Saviour  of  men  en- 
throned in  Nyasaland.  We  can  see  the  time  coming  when  there 
will  be  no  spot  so  remote,  no  forest  so  dark,  and  no  den  so  deep 
that  heathenism  will  find  a  refuge.  May  God  hasten  that  supernal 
dayl 

EDUCATIONAL 

In  this  department,  also,  there  was  a  wonderful  development 
after  the  missionaries  removed  to  Bandawe.  No  effort,  indeed, 
was  spared  to  make  it  a  success,  as  the  value  of  such  work, 
especially  among  children,  was  apparent.  In  Africa,  as  elsewhere, 
childhood  is  the  most  propitious  period  of  life  during  which  to 
ingraft  the  truths  of  Christ.  It  is  best  to  put  the  seal  to  the  wax 
while  it  is  soft,  to  go  to  the  fountain-head  and  guide  the  current 
of  the  stream,  to  lay  hold  upon  the  young  tendrils  and  train  them 
as  they  ought  to  go.  There  is  not  much  hope  if  children  are  left 
alone  till  time  and  example  have  hardened  them  into  heathenism, 
for  it  is  difficult  to  get  the  dye  out  of  the  cloth  when  once  it  has 
been  in  the  wool.  But  there  is  strong  hope  when  once  the  hearts 
of  the  children  are  softened  with  Christian  truth.  Even  though 
it  should  apparently  be  extinguished  for  a  while  by  the  superstitions 
of  the  land,  the  barbarous  customs,  and  the  abounding  temptations 
to  evil,  it  is  never  altogether  lost  or  destroyed. 

The  work  was  thus  a  very  hopeful  one.  But  it  had  peculiar 
difficulties  which  could  only  be  overcome  by  patience  and  perse- 
verance. At  first,  for  want  of  proper  buildings,  schools  could 
only  be  carried  on  in  the  open  air  beneath  the  shade  of  some  giant 
tree.  This  was  no  small  hindrance  to  effective  teaching,  for  if  rain 
fell,  the  children  had  to  be  dispersed — and  it  does  rain  heavily  in 
Nyasaland  during  the  rainy  season,  sometimes  more  rain  falling  in 
six  months  than  in  two  years  in  Scotland.  At  Bandawe,  no  girls 
were  permitted  to  attend  school  at  first.  According  to  custom, 
most  of  them  were  already  betrothed  or  married,  and  those  to 
whom  they  were  thus  bound  objected  to  them  mixing  with  the 
boys  in  case  the  betrothal  arrangements  should  be  upset.  It  was 
only  when  the  people  came  to  have  confidence  in  the  working  of 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  315 

the  Mission  that  they  allowed  the  girls  to  attend  school.  There 
were  other  difficulties,  too,  which  constantly  hampered  the  work — 
such  as  the  lack  of  proper  educational  material  for  the  use  of 
teachers,  the  impossibility  of  keeping  roll-books  owing  to  the  habit 
which  the  natives  had  of  continually  changing  their  names,  and, 
above  all,  the  irregular  attendance  of  the  scholars.  There  was  no 
difficulty  at  first  in  getting  over  two  thousand  scholars,  but  it  was 
an  arduous  task  to  get  even  fifty  of  these  to  attend  regularly. 
Many  came  for  a  day  or  two,  and  then  no  more  was  seen  of 
them. 

All  these,  however,  were  difficulties  which  were  incident  to  the 
work  in  its  early  stages,  but  vanished  by  and  by.  In  every  great 
undertaking,  trial,  perplexity,  and  hardship  have  to  come  before 
triumph,  as  the  young  sapling  must  pass  through  chilling  winters 
and  endure  tempestuous  weather  before  it  becomes  a  full  grown 
oak. 

The  schools  were  generally  opened  with  the  singing  of  a  hymn, 
followed  by  prayer.  Reading,  writing,  and  other  elementary  sub- 
jects were,  of  course,  taught,  the  scholars  using  Primers  corre- 
sponding to  the  Board  School  standards  of  our  own  country.  But 
much  of  the  time — often  the  best  of  it — was  alloted  to  religious 
instruction.  Every  effort,  indeed,  was  made  to  store  the  minds  of 
the  pupils  with  Bible  truths — the  Ten  Commandments  and  other 
passages  of  Scripture  being  committed  to  memory,  and  the  Life 
of  Christ  being  unfolded.  This  instruction  in  Biblical  truth  has 
always  been,  and  still  is,  a  prominent  part  of  school  work,  for  the 
missionaries  are  convinced  that  education,  apart  from  religious 
instruction,  is  only  disappointing  in  its  results.  The  command, 
"  Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His  Righteousness,  and 
all  other  things  shall  be  added  unto  you,"  has  an  emphasis  in 
educational  work  among  the  heathen. 

Now  and  again  some  of  the  adults — even  bearded  men — 
ventured  into  the  schools,  especially  when  the  Gospel  became 
"  popular "  in  a  district,  willingly  receiving  instruction  along  with 
the  children,  bending  over  their  task,  folding  their  arms,  and 
standing  or  sitting  at  the  word  of  command  like  the  smallest  child. 
Many  a  big  strong  warrior,  who  had  washed  his  spear  in  blood, 
squatted  down  among  children  of  five  and  six  years  of  age,  spelling 
out  of  the  same  little  reading-book,  and  repeating  such  sentences 
as  "The  dog  bit  the  monkey,"  "  The  dog  ate  our  porridge." 


316  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Even  women,  with  babies  on  their  backs,  became  anxious  to  learn. 
As  a  rule,  however,  these  older  people  were  so  sunk  in  rank 
heathenism  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  impress  them.  It 
was  much  easier  to  educate  the  children,  who  were  free  from  the 
prejudices  and  evil  customs  of  their  parents. 

At  most  of  the  Stations  there  were  "  boarders,"  who  generally 
turned  out  the  most  satisfactory  pupils.  They  were,  of  course, 
dependent  upon  the  Mission  for  support,  and  for  everything  in 
life.  "  We  provide  each  boy  with  a  loin  cloth,"  wrote  a  Bandawe 
missionary,  "  a  dress,  a  blanket,  a  plate,  and  all  his  school  books. 
They  sew  and  wash  their  own  dresses,  keep  their  dormitory  clean, 
and  the  walks  of  the  Station  in  order.  They  have  three  meals  a 
day  of  native  porridge,  with  flesh  or  fish,  bananas,  beans,  or  maize. 
A  woman  cooks  for  them  all,  and  a  senior  teacher  is  generally 
appointed  captain.  They  are  not  allowed  from  the  Station  after 
dark,  neither  do  they  attend  evil  native  dances  or  festivities ;  they 
have  morning  and  evening  worship,  and  attend  all  the  church 
services.  When  one  of  them  begins  to  receive  pay,  he  at  once 
begins  to  pay  a  fraction  of  it  for  his  food."  By  living  in  the 
mission-house,  these  children  were  kept  from  superstitious  and 
evil  associations,  and  placed  under  good  influence  and  guidance. 
Apart  from  what  they  learned  in  the  school,  they  had  a  perpetual 
sermon  in  the  consistency  and  grace  of  the  missionaries.  The 
subtle  germ  of  Christ's  truth  was  wafted  to  them  on  the  secret 
atmosphere  of  Christian  lives,  like  seed  borne  into  hidden  glades 
and  forest  depths  which  no  sower's  hand  can  reach.  We  are 
not  surprised  that  they  carried  a  Christian  influence  with  them 
to  their  homes  during  the  school  recess.  Nor  do  we  wonder 
that  by  and  by  there  arose  from  them  a  harvest  of  Christian 
teachers. 

Few  people  at  home  can  realise  the  vast  progress  made  in  the 
educational  department.  One  instance  of  it  may  be  noted.  We 
referred  in  a  previous  chapter  to  the  demand  for  payment  which 
many  parents  made  on  sending  their  children  to  school  to  "do 
the  work  of  the  book,"  regarding  this  as  a  great  favour  conferred 
on  the  white  men.  But  this  old  idea  is  now  rapidly  dying, 
through  the  force  of  public  opinion,  and,  instead,  it  has  become 
the  fashion  to  learn  at  all  costs.  Instruction  is  valued  above 
money,  and  the  desire  for  literature  is  remarkable.  The  children 
not  only  flock  to  school  now  without  payment,  at  the  earnest 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  317 

desire  of  their  parents,  but  eagerly  spend  money  on  books, 
pencils,  and  slates,  while  large  numbers  of  old  people — some  of 
them  "  fighting  men  " — are  exchanging  their  spears  for  books  and 
learning  to  read  at  home.  The  teachers  began  by  lending  books, 
but,  as  a  rule,  they  can  now  sell  them  at  their  proper  value,  so 
great  is  the  "book  fever."  Hundreds  of  Bibles,  New  Testaments, 
Gospels,  hymn-books,  and  school-books  are  thus  scattered  every 
year  among  the  villages  of  Nyasaland,  the  precursors  of  a  rich 
harvest  in  the  future.  "In  this  Station  alone,"  writes  Donald 
Fraser  from  Ekwendeni,  "quite  a  thousand  volumes  have  been 
sold  in  the  past  eight  months." 

The  progress  may  be  better  seen,  however,  from  a  numerical 
standpoint.  Year  after  year  there  has  been  a  remarkable  increase, 
until  now  the  amount  of  regular,  successful  work  carried  on  is 
amazing.  The  following  tabular  view  will  give  the  reader  some 
idea  of  this : — 


Year. 

Schools. 

Scholars. 

Year. 

Schools. 

Scholars. 

1881 

1885 

2 

6 

147 

558 

1895 
1896 

51 
71 

4,501 
7,641 

1889 

21 

2,422 

1898 

108 

10,838 

1893 

40 

3,230 

1900 

123 

16,000 

1 

Who  can  calculate  the  result  of  Christian  education  among  so 
many  thousands  of  Nyasa  children  ?  Who  can  say  how  great  are 
the  potentialities  involved  ?  As  at  home  we  never  know  what  a 
single  child,  in  rags  and  pitiful  misery,  may  rise  to,  so,  in  dark 
Nyasaland,  some  of  these  scholars  may  have  in  them  the  fragile 
beginnings  of  a  mighty  end.  Taught  first  in  these  schools,  and 
afterwards  in  the  great  Training  Institution  at  Livingstonia,  they 
may  develop  a  strength  of  Christian  character  and  a  power  for 
good  that  has  never  been  surpassed  in  any  country.  They  may 
not  only  become  Christian  historians,  scientists,  civilisers,  or 
governors,  but  they  may  live  to  turn  the  multitudinous  tribes  of 
Central  Africa  to  righteousness,  and  "shine  as  the  brightness  of 
the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 


3 1 8  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

INDUSTRIAL 

Leaving  the  educational  department,  let  us  take  a  glance  at  the 
industrial,  which  is  of  an  exceedingly  interesting  nature.  It  has 
proved,  in  the  first  place,  to  be  one  of  the  best  means  of  removing 
the  indolence  or  absolute  laziness  of  the  natives.  This  indolence, 
partly  due  to  climate  and  partly  to  generations  of  hereditary 
influence,  is  a  most  formidable  barrier  to  the  acceptance  of  the 
Gospel ;  and  no  missionary  sermons  or  teaching  of  precepts 
can  remove  it  effectively  without  industrial  training.  Such  ad- 
monitions and  recommendations  as,  Do  this,  Be  diligent,  Be 
cleanly,  Be  consistent  in  your  life,  are  unintelligible  to  the 
Central  African  unless  accompanied  by  example.  Secondly, 
it  trains  both  eye  and  hand  to  forethought,  care,  accuracy, 
and  precision,  and  develops  habits  of  thrift,  patience,  and 
perseverance. 

The  instruction  given  has  always  been  of  a  varied  nature. 
Carpentry,  brick-making,  building,  agriculture,  printing,  tailoring, 
telegraphy,  as  well  as  the  native  industries  of  mat-making  and 
basket-making,  have  all  been  taught  in  a  technical  way.  "  It  was 
interesting,  indirect,  missionary  work,"  wrote  one  of  the  missionaries, 
"  to  superintend  upwards  of  one  hundred  savage  men  and  women 
making  bricks,  firing  them,  and  laying  them  to  your  satisfaction. 
One  learns  great  lessons  as  well  as  teaches  them,  when  one  lays 
hold  of  the  brick-mould  and  the  clay,  and  lets  the  naked  savage 
see  how  you  want  it  done."  By  and  by  the  natives  of  Bandawe 
attained  such  proficiency  in  brick-making  that  this  trade  was 
undertaken  by  native  contractors,  who  supplied  an  abundance  of 
bricks  to  the  Mission  and  to  outside  parties.  A  growing  trade  in 
brick-making  is  now  springing  up'  amongst  the  natives  in  many 
parts  of  Nyasaland. 

Building  was  another  useful  industry.  Instead  of  houses  made 
of  "  wattle  and  daub,"  the  natives  were  taught  to  erect  comfortable 
brick  houses,  which  could  not  be  weakened  by  white  ants  or 
destroyed  by  stormy  weather.  The  Mission  workers,  especially, 
made  considerable  improvements  on  their  dwellings.  "By  far 
the  best  house  in  the  neighbourhood,"  wrote  the  Bandaw6 
carpenter  in  1895,  "is  that  of  our  brick  contractor,  who  recently 
built  for  himself  a  nice  cottage,  partly  of  brick  and  partly  of 
"  wattle  and  daub,"  containing  five  rooms,  nice  broad  verandahs, 


OPEN-AIR  SCHOOL  OF  MEN. 


BRICK-MAKING. 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  3,9 

fireplaces,  good  wooden  doors,  glazed  windows,  and  cook-house 
attached — a  house,  in  short,  that  any  person  might  be  pleased  to 
occupy.  While  blessing  us  in  the  preaching  and  teaching  of  His 
truth,  God  has  also  blessed  us  in  this  other  department  of  His 
work,  and  to  Him  be  praise  and  glory."  Of  late  years,  especially, 
there  has  been  a  substitution  throughout  Nyasaland  of  well-built 
brick  houses  replacing  the  damp,  dark  erections  of  pioneer 
days. 

In  the  earlier  years  the  Livingstonia  missionaries  practised  their 
"  prentice  hands  "  at  printing.  But  before  long  a  proper  printing 
establishment  became  a  necessity,  owing  to  the  enormous  progress 
in  school  work  and  the  large  number  of  languages  in  Nyasaland. 
For  the  want  of  such  a  thing,  all  printing  of  consequence  had  to 
be  done  either  at  home  or  at  Lovedale.  Dr  Laws'  Nyanja  New 
Testament,  for  instance,  and  his  Nyanja  Dictionary  had  to  be 
printed  in  this  country.  But  to  save  trouble  and  expense,  it 
became  necessary  to  do  the  printing  and  bookbinding  in  Nyasa- 
land. In  April  1889,  Mr  William  Thomson,  printer  missionary, 
was  accordingly  sent  out  to  Bandawe,  along  with  a  printing  press 
and  nucleus  of  a  printing-plant.  He  speedily  gathered  round 
him  a  band  of  Christian  natives,  whom  he  trained  to  be  expert 
printers.  They  even  made  most  of  the  material  used  in  binding, 
such  as  glue  and  boards,  the  former  by  boiling  down  "hippo 
hide,"  and  the  latter  by  pasting  together  the  leaves  of  old  magazines 
and  scraps  of  calico.  The  labour  and  perseverance  manifested 
did  not  fail.  This  Livingstonia  Mission  Press  grew  year  by  year 
in  power  and  influence.  A  simple  list  of  the  books  which  have 
issued  from  it  would  surprise  many  people.  Various  parts  of  the 
Bible,  Catechisms,  grammars,  dictionaries,  primers,  hymn-books, 
lesson-sheets,  and  innumerable  works  of  Christian  literature  in 
various  languages  have  been  published  in  quick  succession.  Orders 
have  been  executed,  too,  for  outside  parties,  as  a  help  towards 
making  the  work  self-supporting.  Large  orders  have  at  times 
been  undertaken  for  the  Moravian,  Berlin,  and  London  Missions 
adjoining  Nyasaland,  for  the  Civil  Administration,  and  for  the 
Lakes  Corporation.  The  work  done  has  been  of  excellent 
character,  and  has  several  times  been  highly  commended  by  Her 
Majesty's  Commissioner. 

The  printing  establishment  has  been  enlarged  of  late  years. 
In  1894,  several  additional  founts  of  type,  including  Greek  and 


320  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Hebrew,  were  sent  out,  as  well  as  a  ruling  machine  and  a  book- 
binder's cutting  machine.  In  October  1895,  Mr  Thomson  and 
his  staff  removed  to  the  Training  Institution  at  Livingstonia, 
where  they  set  up  a  new  apparatus,  including  a  double-demy  cylinder 
machine,  whose  heavy  castings  had  to  be  dragged  up  the  cliffs  on 
wooden  sledges.  Since  then  hundreds  of  sheets  of  pure  literature 
have  been  issued  from  the  press  daily,  and  have  been  eagerly 
purchased  by  the  natives.  Among  other  productions,  the  Aurora, 
a  journal  of  missionary  news  and  Christian  work,  on  the  model  of 
the  Lovedale  Christian  Express,  appeared  in  February  1897. 
The  journal  is  the  successor,  both  in  its  name  and  its  object,  of 
a  manuscript  magazine  commenced  as  early  as  1877  for  the  use 
of  the  Livingstonia  and  Blantyre  Missions,  only  two  numbers  of 
which,  however,  were  issued  owing  to  the  irregular  communication 
and  other  hindrances. 

Space  forbids  the  writer  describing  the  large  amount  of 
agricultural  and  other  work  carried  on ;  but  from  what  has 
been  said  the  reader  can  imagine  the  enormous  change  that 
has  come  over  Bandawe  and  the  other  Mission  districts  through 
the  industrial  teaching  of  the  Livingstonia  missionaries.  "The 
work  that  the  Free  Church  Mission  has  done  here,"  wrote  Sir 
H.  H.  Johnston  from  Bandawe  as  early  as  1890,  "is  really 
remarkable.  There  are  dwelling-houses  which  would  be  thought 
comfortable  in  England,  and  which,  with  their  low,  thatched, 
small-paned,  bow  windows,  climbing  roses,  and  gardens  with 
neat  flower-beds,  might  be  old-fashioned  farm-houses  transplanted 
entire,  with  all  their  surroundings,  from  our  own  country.  There 
are  a  workshop  and  a  printing  press,  which  is  perpetually  at  work. 
There  are  brakes  of  pine-apples,  which  Dr  Laws  was  the  first  to 
introduce  into  this  country,  orchards  of  oranges  and  limes,  and 
tidy  plantations  of  local  vegetables.  Altogether,  Bandawe,  with 
its  little  colony  of  five  Europeans,  its  large  school  of  native 
children,  its  dependent  villages  of  friendly  natives,  and  its  general 
air  of  brisk  industry  and  cheerful  comfort,  is  one  of  the  most 
creditable  and  agreeable  results  of  British  missionary  enterprise 
which  ever  gladdened  the  eyes  of  a  traveller  weary  with  the 
monotonous  savagery  of  African  wilds.  There  one  feels  in  touch 
with  Europe.  This  little  colony  is  provided  with  an  admirable 
library,  slowly  amassed  by  Dr  Laws.  There  are  all  the  latest 
books,  reviews,  magazines,  and  newspapers  which  are  likely  to 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  321 

prove  of  general  interest,  or  which  deal  with  special  subjects, 
such  as  philosophy,  engineering,  or  farming.  Dr  Laws  is  a 
doctor  of  medicine  and  a  practised  surgeon.  This  man,  with 
his  fifteen  years  of  whole-hearted  devotion  to  Nyasaland,  and 
his  energy  in  doing  good,  which  has  made  him  learn  to  make 
bricks  himself  in  order  that  he  may  teach  others;  which  has 
led  him  to  become  a  practical  engineer,  carpenter,  joiner,  printer, 
photographer,  farrier,  boat-builder,  and  druggist,  so  that  he  might 
instruct  his  once  savage  pupils  in  these  arts  and  trades;  which 
has  made  him  study  medicine  and  surgery  to  heal  the  bodies, 
and  sufficient  theology  to  instruct  the  minds,  of  these  Africans, 
about  whom  he  never  speaks  with  silly  sentiment  and  gush,  but 
whose  faults,  failings,  and  capabilities  he  appraises  with  calm 
common-sense — Dr  Laws,  with  these  qualities  of  truly  Christian 
self-devotion,  should  justly  be  regarded  as  the  greatest  man  who 
has  yet  appeared  in  Nyasaland." 

Without  doubt  the  present  civilisation  of  Nyasaland  is  largely 
due  to  missionary  labour.  Men  and  women,  trained  by  the 
Mission  in  industrial  arts  of  various  kinds,  are  now  scattered 
over  the  country  from  Mwenzo  to  the  mouth  of  the  Zambesi, 
carrying  knowledge  and  civilisation  with  them.  They  may  be 
found  in  large  numbers  acting  as  boat-captains,  storekeepers, 
and  foremen  under  the  African  Lakes  Corporation  and  other 
commercial  companies,  as  well  as  workers  in  the  many  coffee 
estates  of  the  Shire  Highlands,  as  clerks,  interpreters,  and  con- 
fidential servants  in  the  Civil  Administration,  and  as  cooks, 
domestic  servants,  nurses,  and  ambulance  and  medical  assistants 
— all  of  them  devoted  to  the  suppression  of  Africa's  evils  and 
the  introduction  of  a  Christian  civilisation.  Many  of  them  were 
untutored  savages  a  few  years  ago,  and  nothing  delighted  them 
more  than  to  get  on  the  war-path  with  the  slave-raider,  but  now 
they  have  learned  better  things  at  the  feet  of  Christ,  and  are 
working  daily  for  an  honest  livelihood.  Verily,  from  the  point 
of  civilisation  as  well  as  evangelisation,  nations  are  being  born  in  a 
day  in  Central  Africa,  owing,  we  may  truly  say,  to  the  Livingstonia 
expeditions  organised  in  1875  and  1876.  We  need  not  wonder 
at  the  words  of  Joseph  Thomson,  the  African  explorer,  when 
speaking  of  Nyasaland.  "I  can  honestly  state,"  he  said,  "that 
for  the  first  time  in  all  my  wide  African  travels,  I  here  found  a 
X 


322  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

spot  where  the  advent  of  the  white  man  may  be  described  as 
an  unmitigated  blessing  to  the  natives."* 

MEDICAL 

Much  of  the  missionaries'  time  was  taken  up  with  medical 
work,  which  extended  so  rapidly  that  they  had  to  exert  their 
utmost  energies  to  overtake  it.  Thousands  of  patients  came 
every  year  to  the  Mission  Stations,  some  of  them  walking  more 
than  fifty  miles,  while  thousands  more  were  treated  in  their  own 
villages  or  during  missionary  journeys. 

"  Let  me  take  you,"  says  Dr  Prentice,  "  to  one  of  the  medical 
Mission  Stations  and  show  you  how  the  work  goes  on.  At  a 
certain  hour — sometimes  early  in  the  morning,  sometimes  in  the 
afternoon — the  dispensary  is  open  when  the  doctor  is  at  home. 
Before  the  patients  are  received  they  will  have  attended  the 
worship  in  the  school,  and  then  they  gather  on  the  verandah  at 
the  dispensary  door.  You  will  see  men,  women,  and  children, 
who  have  come,  or  have  been  carried,  from  the  surrounding 
villages.  They  are  there  with  ugly  ulcers,  malignant  tumours, 
fractured  bones,  inflamed  eyes,  blind,  deaf,  and  cripple.  Some- 
times they  are  brought  in  the  last  stages  of  disease,  and  may 
die  at  the  doctor's  door,  and,  oftener  years  ago  than  now,  men 
and  women,  almost  dead,  from  having  drunk  the  terrible  poison 
ordeal,  are  laid  down  for  treatment,  and  in  such  cases  great 
promptitude  on  the  doctor's  part  is  required  to  save  their  life. 
Mothers  bring  their  infants  suffering  from  fits  and  other  ailments, 
and  thinking  they  have  been  bewitched,  for  among  some  of  the 
tribes  the  belief  is  common  that  no  disease  has  a  rational  cause, 
but  is  produced  by  evil  men  by  means  of  charms.  The  doctor 
spends  hours  in  making  up  and  giving  suitable  medicine  to  each 
case,  and  in  giving  instructions  as  to  treatment.  Each  one 
relieved  goes  away  happy,  thinking  well  of  the  doctor,  and 
through  him  knowing  something  of  the  deep  meaning  of 
Christ,  who  is  the  great  physician.  Not  unfrequently  men  and 
women  and  children  are  carried  to  the  doctor,  having  been 
torn  by  lions  and  leopards,  which  are  continually  prowling 
about." 

This  beneficent  work  was  not  always  confined  to  the  medical 

*  From  paper  at  Royal  Geographical  Society's  meeting,  November  28th,  1892. 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  323 

men :  it  had  sometimes  to  be  undertaken,  from  sheer  necessity, 
by  the  artisan  missionaries  and  others.  One  case  in  point  may 
be  mentioned.  In  1890,  the  army  of  Mtwaro,  chief  of  the 
northern  Ngoni,  attacked  a  large  village,  taking  many  people 
prisoners  and  slaughtering  others.  They  had  ten  of  their  own 
number  killed  and  several  wounded.  "  On  their  return  home," 
says  Mr  P.  M'Callum,  "  I  was  called  to  see  two  men  with  gunshot 
wounds.  One  I  could  not  do  much  for.  The  other  had  been  left  by 
the  way  to  die,  but  after  a  time  he  managed  to  follow,  and  arrived 
home  in  a  bad  state.  His  arm  was  almost  shot  off  below  the 
elbow,  and  he  had  been  six  days  without  having  it  washed  or 
dressed  in  any  way.  Mortification  was  so  strong,  it  was  plain 
that  the  man's  only  chance  of  life  was  to  have  the  arm  amputated ; 
so,  there  being  no  one  else  to  do  it,  I  took  it  in  hand,  and  am 
happy  to  say  the  wound  healed  quickly,  and  he  is  now  quite  well, 
poor  fellow  !  He  was  very  grateful,  and  could  not  say  enough  of 
the  difference-  between  the  mercy  of  the  white  man  and  that  of 
the  Ngoni."  Such  an  instance  shows  how  some  of  our  mission- 
aries, with  perhaps  no  medical  training  worth  speaking  of,  have  to 
do  a  doctor's  as  well  as  an  evangelist's  work,  and  how  well  they 
rise  to  the  occasion  ! 

The  people  everywhere,  like  those  at  Cape  Maclear,  manifested 
extraordinary  astonishment  at  first  at  the  effect  of  chloroform. 
They  had  never  seen  anything  like  it  before.  One  of  the  first 
cases  at  Bandawe  was  the  amputation  of  a  hand,  the  operation 
being  performed  by  Dr  Laws,  assisted  by  Dr  Peden  of  the  Blantyre 
Mission,  who  happened  to  be  on  a  visit  to  the  Lake  at  the  time. 
Two  chiefs,  who  were  present,  could  hardly  express  their  un- 
bounded amazement  when  they  saw  the  effect  produced.  The 
natives  have  really  no  fear  of  chloroform,  never  refuse  it  when  told 
it  is  necessary,  and  quickly  pass  under  its  influence.  With 
Europeans  present  to  assist,  the  missionaries  have  no  anxiety  in 
its  administration. 

The  cases  which  come  before  the  medical  missionaries  are  of 
the  most  varied  kind,  from  "  jigger  "  ulcers  to  diseases  of  a  serious 
nature,  which,  if  left  to  native  devices,  would  result  in  loss  of 
limb  or  life.  One  year  Rev.  Andrew  Murray  of  Mvera  had 
several  cases  of  leprosy  and  two  lunatics.  One  of  these  latter  had 
sat  for  four  years,  bound  to  a  tree,  with  a  huge  slave-yoke  on  his 
neck,  while  the  other  had  his  legs  tied  together  with  ropes.  As 


324 


DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 


an  instance  of  how  much  falls  upon  one  man,  independent  of  his 
preaching  and  teaching,  we  may  give  the  following  analysis  of 
2322  cases  (933  surgical  and  1389  medical)  treated  byDr  Henry, 
in  1890,  at  the  Livlezi  Station  : — 


Fever,       .         .        .        .351 

Catarrh  and  Bronchitis, 

Rheumatism, 

Heart  Affections, 

Dysentery, 

Neurotic  Affections,  . 

Indigestion, 


351        Epilepsy,  . 

8 

232 

Dropsy,     . 

. 

3 

164 

Paralysis,  . 

2 

45 

Pleurisy,    . 

. 

1 

41 

Phthisis,    . 

^    •• 

I 

23 

Child-birth, 

I 

18 

Abdominal  Complaints, 

•     499 

Ulcers  and  Abs 

:esses 

,        -     398 

Bruises,     .         . 

Skin  Diseases, 

•     255 

Swollen  Joints,  . 

Eye  Cases, 

.     118 

Oedema,    .        « 

Wounds,   . 

•      63 

Sprains,     .         . 

Ear  Cases, 

•      34 

Leprosy,    .        . 

Teeth  Cases, 

12 

Bites  by  Leopards, 

Burns, 

8 

Various,    .        .  '"'  V. 

The  work  has  not  been  confined  to  the  dispensaries  at  the 
various  Stations,  but  thousands  of  people  have  been  and  still  are 
treated  during  missionary  journeys.  There  are  few  methods  so 
interesting  and  attractive  as  this  itinerant  medical  mission  work. 
It  is  the  nearest  possible  approach  to  Christ's  own  ministry.  No 
doubt,  grave  forms  of  disease,  or  those  in  which  a  major  operation 
is  necessary,  cannot  be  satisfactorily  treated  during  itineration  ; 
but  however  little  the  missionaries  can  do,  it  is  often  highly 
appreciated,  and  their  kindly  invitation  to  the  patient  to  come  to 
the  Mission  Station  inspires  confidence,  and  is  often  taken 
advantage  of.  So  that,  with  all  its  drawbacks,  such  medical  work 
is  in  numberless  instances  a  means  of  incalculable  benefit.  It 
has  been  largely  carried  on  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission.  In  fact, 
there  is  none  of  its  medical  agents  but  has  at  times  made  large 
circuits  throughout  Nyasaland,  healing  the  sick,  and  proclaiming 
the  old,  old  story  of  a  Saviour's  love. 

From  what  we  have  said  the  reader  can  realise  the  immense 
influence  wielded  by  this  medical  department.  It  has  always  been, 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  325 

and  still  is,  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  effective  agencies  in 
connection  with  the  Mission,  overthrowing  the  empiricism  and 
deceitful  incantations  of  the  native  doctors,  disarming  prejudice, 
gaining  the  confidence  of  the  natives,  opening  their  hearts  to  the 
saving  truth  of  Christianity,  and  overcoming  barriers  otherwise 
insuperable.  It  was  only  when  Mtwaro,  one  of  the  Ngoni  chiefs, 
heard  of  Dr  Elmslie's  medical  work  that  he  allowed  him  to  visit 
his  subjects.  Having  an  affection  in  his  knee-joint,  which  had 
baffled  his  own  "  medicine  men,"  he  sent  for  Dr  Elmslie ;  and 
thus  began  that  remarkable  work  which  led  in  a  few  years  to  a 
flourishing  native  church.  Innumerable  other  instances  might  be 
given.  Sometimes,  for  example,  a  useful  slave,  unable  to  work 
throligh  illness,  has  been  restored  to  health  by  our  missionaries,  with 
the  result  that  his  master  has  thenceforward  looked  favourably  upon 
the  Mission  and  given  heed  to  the  other  aspects  of  its  work.  Or, 
some  poor  woman,  who  would  be  left  to  the  wild  beasts  if  she  failed 
in  the  time  of  "  nature's  sorrow,"  has  been  delivered  from  death  by 
proper  medical  treatment,  and  has  ever  afterwards  been  a  friend  to 
the  missionary.  Even  little  children,  relieved  from  pain  and  saved 
from  lingering  illness,  have  always  remembered  the  missionary's 
kindness  and  hung  upon  his  words.  In  such  ways  the  medical 
work  is  a  power  for  good,  influencing  the  people  quietly  and  surely. 
It  is  like  the  miracles  in  the  early  church,  which  helped  largely  in 
the  spread  of  Christianity  at  a  time  which  did  not  favour  it  and 
against  many  resistances. 

It  must  not  be  imagined  that  all  this  medical  work  has  gone  on 
smoothly.  On  the  other  hand,  there  have  been  many  difficulties, 
perplexities,  and  disappointments,  such  as  the  irregular  attendance 
of  the  patients,  their  carelessness  in  carrying  out  instructions,  their 
excessive  confidence  in  the  white  man's  power,  and  their  frequent 
ingratitude  for  healing  received.  The  missionaries  have  specially 
felt  the  want  of  a  good,  substantial  cottage  hospital  at  each  centre 
— some  convenient  place  where  patients  could  be  operated  upon, 
and  spoken  to  about  Christ,  the  only  available  substitute  at  most 
of  the  Stations  being  a  "  wattle  and  daub  "  hut  or  any  spare  corner 
in  the  Mission  premises. 

Notwithstanding  innumerable  difficulties,  there  has  been  a 
remarkable  development  of  the  medical  work,  until  now  about 
thirty  thousand  patients  are  treated  every  year.  The  following 
tabular  view  of  cases  in  1898  may  be  interesting: — 


326 


DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 


STATIONS. 

MEN. 

WOMEN. 

CHILDREN. 

TOTAL. 

Medi- 
cal. 

SCT- 

Medi- 
cal. 

Scaf 

Medi- 
cal. 

ScT 

Medical. 

Surgical. 

Institution     . 
Karonga 
Bandawe"  *    . 

Total     . 

2687 
1651 
953 

6525 
1425 
409 

707 
87I 
1436 

1646 
1387 
585 

943 
1212 

1295 

806 

1943 
768 

4337 

3734 
3684 

8977 
1762 

5291 

8359 

3014 

36l8 

3450 

3517 

",7S5 

15,494 

Figures  like  these  show  that  the  Livingstonia  Mission  is  now  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  medical  missions  in  the  world. 

It  should  be  remembered  also  that  the  skill  and  sympathy  of  the 
missionaries  have  been  bestowed  upon  others  than  the  natives. 
During  the  Arab  War  at  the  north  end  of  the  Lake,  from  1887  to 
1889,  a  Livingstonia  missionary  willingly  acted  as  surgeon  to  both 
sides,  friend  and  foe  alike.  "This  is  to  tell  you,"  wrote  Captain 
Lugard  to  the  Arabs,  "  that  if  there  are  any  men  of  yours  who  are 
wounded  we  will  take  care  of  them,  and  try  and  heal  their  wounds, 
and  they  shall  be  free  to  return  to  you  whenever  they  wish.  The 
doctor,  as  you  know,  has  many  medicines  and  instruments,  and  may 
perhaps  save  their  lives  if  they  trust  themselves  to  us.  We  are 
anxious  to  save  life,  and  do  not  fight  against  wounded  men.  Bring 
them  with  a  white  flag  as  far  as  the  village,  and  leave  them  there 
under  the  tree.  If  you  trust  us,  it  will  be  well.  To  save  life  and 
help  the  wounded  is  good  in  the  sight  of  God." 

Not  only  so,  but  treatment  has  been  willingly  given  to  Europeans 
and  others,  for  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  stretching  as  it  does  along 
the  great  highway  to  the  interior,  comes  in  contact  with  many 
classes  of  people.  Medical  help  has  been  bestowed  upon  members 
of  all  the  six  neighbouring  missions  ;  upon  Europeans  belonging  to 
the  Lakes  Corporation,  H.B.M.  gunboats  on  the  Lake,  and  the 
British  Administration ;  and  also  upon  travellers  visiting  Nyasa, 
merchants  and  planters,  and,  in  fact,  upon  all  the  sick  and  fevered, 
whether  white  or  black.  This  has  been  specially  so  of  late  years, 
when  so  many  outside  people  have  entered  the  country;  and,  if 
space  permitted,  we  might  quote  the  grateful  testimony  of  not  a  few 

*  For  part  of  the  year  only.  For  the  whole  year  statistics  would  show  about 
nine  thousand  medical  and  two  thousand  surgical  cases  at  Bandaw£. 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  327 

who  have  ventured  there  and  found  in  the  Mission  a  healing  balm. 
The  words  of  Rev.  C.  B.  Eyre,  of  the  Universities'  Mission,  may 
suffice.  Writing  to  Professor  Lindsay,  he  says : — 

"  I  cannot  close  these  remarks  without  expressing  my  deep  sense 
of  the  debt  of  gratitude  the  Universities'  Mission  owes  to  Dr  and 
Mrs  Laws  and  other  members  of  the  Livingstonia  Mission,  who 
have  for  so  many  years  received  and  ministered  to  the  members  of 
the  Universities'  Mission  who  have  from  time  to  time  been  unex- 
pectedly and  unceremoniously  landed,  in  a  more  or  less  collapsed 
state,  at  their  doors.  The  Rev  W.  P.  Johnson,  in  the  early  days ; 
Rev  Mr  Swinney,  later,  who  died  at  Bandawe  in  Dr  Laws'  house ; 
the  present  Bishop  of  Likoma,  Dr  Hine ;  and  many  others  up  to 
the  present  time  have  experienced,  with  myself,  the  unwearying 
help  and  kindness  which  is  such  a  marked  characteristic  of  this 
Mission — a  help  and  kindness  not  only  extended  to  fellow-workers, 
but  to  the  many  Europeans  who  have  found,  and  do  find,  relief 
and  comfort  in  their  sickness  and  their  extremity." 

LITERARY 

We  may  well  wonder  how,  in  addition  to  the  multitudinous  labours 
of  preaching,  teaching,  and  healing,  the  missionaries  should  find 
time  to  study  the  various  languages  around  Nyasa,  and  to  translate 
the  Bible  and  other  books  into  them.  Yet  they  have  done  so, 
to  a  most  surprising  extent,  although  working  in  a  trying  climate, 
amid  war  alarms,  personal  perils,  and  political  confusion.  In  fact, 
translation  has  had  to  go  on  along  with  the  development  of  the 
evangelistic  and  educational  parts  of  the  Mission,  for  almost  every 
new  Station  has  meant  a  new  language  to  learn  and  translate. 
The  missionaries  have  had  to  make  themselves  acquainted  with  at 
least  eight  languages  all  of  which  are  spoken  within  the  Mission 
area.  These  are  : — 

1.  NYANJA,  the  language  spoken  at  Cape   Maclear,  the  first 

settlement,  and  known  all  around  the  Lake,  and  as 
far  south  as  the  Lower  Zambesi.  It  is  the  most 
important  language  in  Nyasaland. 

2.  TONGA,  spoken  by  the  tribe  of  the  same  name  living  on  the 

Lake  shore  around  Bandawe. 

3.  WANDA,   spoken  by  the  people  at  Mweniwanda's  on   the 


328  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

Stevenson  Road,  where   Mr  Bain  and  others  laboured 
successfully  until  driven  away  by  the  Arab  War. 

4.  KOND£,  spoken  by  the  numerous  tribe  around  the  north  end 

of  the  Lake,  with  dialectical  differences. 

5.  NGONI,  the  language  of  the  large  hill  tribe  to  the  north-west 

of  Bandawe.     It  is  a  dialect  of  Zulu. 

6.  TUMBUKA,  spoken  by  a  numerous  and  varied  tribe  living  to 

the  north  of  the  Ngoni,  and  subject  to  them — a  language 
with  many  dialects. 

7.  YAO,  the  language  of  the  people  on  the  east  of  the  Lake 

and  in  some  isolated  villages  on  the  west.     It  is  the 
language  of  the  Blantyre  and  Universities'  Missions. 

8.  SWAHELI,  the  Lingua  Franca  of  the  East  African  Coast,  a 

language  carried  far  inland  by  Zanzibar  traders. 
SHISHYA,   HENGA,   POKA,   NAMWANGA,  and  WEMBA  may  also 
be  included,  as  our  Livingstonia  Missionaries  have  now 
commenced  work,  directly  or  indirectly,  among  these 
tribes. 

Of  all  these  vernacular  languages  spoken  within  the  Mission 
district,  several  have  been  reduced  to  writing,  and  books  prepared 
and  printed  in  them.  In  this  connection  the  world  of  philology 
owes  a  great  deal  to  our  Livingstonia  missionaries.  Dr  Laws,  the 
most  zealous  of  all  in  this  important  department  of  work,  had 
translated  the  whole  New  Testament  into  Nyanja  before  his  first 
visit  home  in  1884.  This  was  no  small  undertaking:  it  was 
something  to  show  for  nine  years'  work.  Does  the  reader  under- 
stand the  labour  implied  in  it  ?  If  any  man  were  ordered  to 
write  out  the  whole  New  Testament  in  his  own  language,  amidst 
all  his  other  work  and  in  face  of  numberless  interruptions,  he 
would  soon  be  discouraged  in  the  task.  But  the  missionary  has 
to  write  the  New  Testament  in  a  strange,  barbarous  language,  re- 
copying  the  material  several  times  before  it  becomes  of  permanent 
value. 

Nearly  two  and  a  half  millions  of  people  were  able  to  read  this 
Nyanja  New  Testament  as  soon  as  they  could  read  anything. 
Since  then  God  has  abundantly  blessed  this  translation  for  the 
advancement  of  His  Church  and  Kingdom  in  dark  Nyasaland. 

As  the  Nyanja  language  has  many  dialects,  an  effort  is  now 
being  made  to  prepare  a  common  Nyanja  Bible  based  upon  the 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  3z9 

most  useful  form  of  the  language,  and  suitable  to  all  the  missions 
in  British  Central  Africa  where  Nyanja  tribes  are  found.  Dr 
Laws'  translation  is  a  pioneer  work,  as  well  done  as  the  knowledge 
and  the  circumstances  of  the  time  permitted ;  but  the  extension 
of  mission  work  all  over  the  country  now  requires  a  revision  and 
a  translation  into  a  common  version  suitable  to  all  districts. 
This  means  arduous  labour  by  Dr  Laws  and  other  missionaries  in 
Central  Africa.  Many  questions  of  orthography  and  grammar 
require  to  be  dealt  with,  and  a  general  understanding  must  be 
come  to  as  to  the  best  Nyanja  equivalents  of  Scriptural  or 
theological  terms.  It  is  a  work,  however,  full  of  interest  and 
utility,  and  we  hope  will  be  carried  through  in  due  time. 

Dr  Laws  has  also  prepared  dictionaries  of  the  Nyanja,  Tonga, 
and  Konde  languages,  as  well  as  many  primers,  school-books,  and 
other  productions  in  them.  Mr  Bain,  who  died  in  1889,  made  a 
special  study  of  the  Konde  language,  spoken  at  the  north  end  of 
the  Lake,  and  translated  Mark's  Gospel  and  several  hymns  into  it. 
He  also  translated  into  Wanda  the  miracles  and  parables  of 
Christ,  the  Book  of  Jonah,  Mark's  Gospel,  and  other  works.  It 
is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  he  did  not  commit  to  paper  much 
more  of  the  information  he  possessed  about  these  and  other 
languages.  Besides  knowing  Konde  and  Wanda,  he  was  well 
acquainted  also  with  Nyanja,  Tonga,  and  Swaheli,  in  the  last  of 
which  he  used  to  make  himself  known  to  the  Arabs  who  fre- 
quented Mweniwanda's.  Dr  Henry  of  Livlezi,  who  died  in  1893, 
was  an  accomplished  linguist.  He  translated  Genesis  and  the 
"  Pilgrim's  Progress "  into  Nyanja,  and  published  an  excellent 
grammar  of  that  language.  Dr  Elmslie  has  translated  into  Ngoni 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Mark's  Gospel,  the  Parables,  the 
Decalogue,  hymns,  and  other  works,  as  well  as  written  a  grammar 
and  other  books  on  the  structure  of  the  Nongi  language.  He 
has,  moreover,  studied  the  Tumbuka  language,  reduced  it  to 
writing,  and  written  some  valuable  contributions  on  it.  Even 
some  of  the  artizan  evangelists  and  teachers,  such  as  Mr  M'Minn, 
have  laboured  at  translation  during  moments  snatched  from 
their  ordinary  work. 

The  great  philological  value  of  these  literary  contributions  of  Dr 
Laws  and  his  staff  of  workers  is  evident  from  a  report  presented 
to  Her  Majesty's  Government  by  the  British  Commissioner.  "High 
praise,"  he  says,  "must  be  given  to  the  missionaries  of  British 


33° 


DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 


Central  Africa  for  the  extent  and  value  of  their  linguistic 
studies.  ...  In  a  way,  the  Livingstonia  Mission  stands  first  as 
regards  the  value  of  its  contributions  to  our  knowledge  of  African 
languages."  *  They  have  thus  benefited  science  by  their  labours, 
while  at  the  same  time  working  for  higher  ends. 

WORK  AMONG  WOMEN 

So  far,  the  writer  has  described  the  progress  made  in  the 
various  departments.  But  there  is  another  aspect  of  the  matter 
that  must  not  be  overlooked,  viz.,  the  advance  made,  especially  of 
late  years,  in  practical  mission  work  among  the  women.  This  is 
a  very  important  aspect.  We  are  apt  to  forget  that  about  half  the 
human  race  is  composed  of  women,  and  that  these  wield  a  mighty 
influence  on  social  and  individual  life.  If  we  remember  the 
influence  exerted  by  Emmelia  and  Macrina  on  Basil,  by  Anthusa 
on  Chrysostom,  by  Nonna  on  Gregory  Nazianzen,  by  the  mothers 
of  Jerome  and  Ambrose  upon  them,  and  by  Monica  on  Augustine, 
we  shall  see  the  necessity  of  reaching  the  hearts  of  women.  In 
fact,  if  this  kind  of  work  were  neglected,  there  would  be  no 
Christian  women  to  become  wives.  Christian  young  men  would 
be  tempted  to  marry  heathen  ones,  and  this  would  subject  them 
to  an  evil  influence,  which  might  drag  them  down  to  their  old 
level,  and  prove  a  snare  to  their  Christianity. 

In  the  earlier  years  of  the  Mission  this  important  work  could 
not  be  satisfactorily  attended  to,  owing  to  the  want  of  trained 
female  teachers.  Yet  something  was  attempted,  principally  of  an 
industrial  nature.  Shortly  after  the  settlement  of  the  Mission  at 
Cape  Maclear,  some  women  came  to  live  at  the  Station ;  and 
when  Dr  Stewart  and  his  staff  were  on  their  way  to  the  Lake,  in 
1876,  they  took  some  women  and  girls  on  board  the  Ilala  at  the 
Upper  Shire,  as  these  also  were  anxious  to  live  in  the  Mission 
Settlement.  Others  followed  afterwards,  and  Mr  Gunn,  with  the 
help  of  the  Lovedale  evangelists,  formed  them  all  into  a  sewing 
class.  This  was  quite  a  novelty,  as  there  had  always  been — and 
still  is  to  a  great  extent — a  prejudice  in  the  native  mind  against 
women  practising  sewing.  Cloth  was  such  a  rarity  that  the  people 
thought  it  could  only  be  manipulated  by  the  "  lords  of  creation." 

Three  years  later — in  1879 — the  first  white  woman  arrived  in 
*  Report  presented  to  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  August  1894. 


EVANGELISTIC  4ND  OTHER  WORK 


33' 


the  person  of  Mrs  Laws,  who  at  once  showed  herself  a  most 
zealous  teacher.  She  was  followed  the  same  year  by  Miss 
Waterston,  L.M.,  from  Lovedale.  Both  these  ladies  continued 
the  work  already  begun ;  and  a  few  months  afterwards,  when  Miss 
Waterston  returned  to  Lovedale,  Mrs  Laws  undertook  the  entire 
work  herself.  She  was  so  successful  that,  in  1880,  the  members 
of  her  class  managed  to  sew  the  following  articles  in  about  eight 
months : — 


85  Dresses  (Children's). 
78  Dresses  (Women's). 
23  Sheets. 
21  Shirts. 


17  Handkerchiefs. 
12  Towels. 
I  Jacket  (Man's). 
69  Other  Articles. 


being  a  total  of  306,  or  about  40  a  month. 

Next  year,  when  the  missionaries  removed  to  Bandawe,  the 
same  kind  of  work  was  commenced  there,  and  at  almost  all  the 
Stations  subsequently  planted.  In  Ngoniland  a  women's  school 
was  begun  by  Mrs  Elmslie,  with  an  attendance  of  two  or  three, 
and  in  a  few  years  increased  to  about  twenty.  The  interest, 
diligence,  and  attention  of  these  women  opened  the  missionaries' 
eyes  to  the  splendid  field  that  lay  before  them.  At  Livlezi,  Mrs 
Dr  Henry  devoted  all  her  time  to  work  among  the  women.  She 
carried  on  an  excellent  sewing  class,  so  that,  as  early  as  1890, 
there  were  sixty  girls  who  attended  church  at  this  distant  outpost 
in  dresses  sewed  by  themselves.  "  At  first  they  had  some  difficulty," 
she  wrote,  "  in  getting  into  our  way  of  holding  the  needle  and 
seam.  They  would  persist  in  sitting  in  a  double  posture,  sewing 
with  their  arms  resting  on  their  knees.  After  threading  the  needle, 
they  twisted  the  two  ends  together  into  a  cord,  and  sewed  with  it 
double.  The  reason  of  this  was,  I  think,  their  primitive  mode  of 
sewing.  They  make  needles  of  a  fine  strong  straw,  and  their 
thread  is  minute  thin  shreds,  which  they  get  from  the  stem  of 
certain  shrubs.  This  thread  requires  twisting  to  stay  in  the  eye 
of  the  needle.  With  my  present  class  these  difficulties  have  all 
been  overcome. 

"  Every  day  during  one  week  I  had  to  scold  the  younger  girls 
for  losing  needles,  until  I  found  out  that  one  of  the  girls,  on  the 
pretext  of  looking  at  the  others'  seams  at  folding-time,  slipped  out 
the  needles,  carried  them  home,  and  buried  them  in  the  ground. 
Many  such  difficulties  are  met  with  among  this  poor,  down-trodden 


332  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

people.  There  is  no  discrimination  amongst  them.  They  will  tell 
you  a  lie  without  thinking.  This  girl  would  just  do  it  for  the 
mere  wicked  pleasure  she  would  have  in  hearing  the  little  ones 
scolded.  In  this  respect  the  work  is  peculiarly  difficult.  One 
day  you  feel,  after  striving  a  long  time  with  it,  that  you  have 
mastered  a  certain  bad  habit,  when  perhaps  on  the  morrow  you 
have  to  fight  against  the  same  wrong  harder  than  ever.  However, 
the  work  of  trying  to  improve  them  is  being  done ;  and  if  I  often 
fail  to  see  the  good  I  desire  to  do,  I  still  hope  and  pray  for  the 
day  when  I  shall  see  it." 

Thus  the  women  of  Nyasaland  were  not  only  ignorant  of 
women's  work,  but  required  to  be  taught  how  to  act  generally. 
They  were  not  only  wonderfully  deficient  in  such  elementary 
things  as  washing  and  conducting  household  work,  but  many  of 
them  were  uncleanly,  lazy,  disobedient,  deceitful  and  untruthful. 
"  As  servants  in  a  house,"  wrote  Dr  Laws,  "  there  is  at  first  great 
difficulty  in  getting  girls  to  comprehend  what  cleanliness  means. 
In  their  eyes  it  is  the  height  of  folly  to  wash  white  sheets  and 
tablecloths ;  while,  if  their  hands  are  dirty  or  wet,  the  nearest  door- 
post is  the  towel  they  are  most  likely  to  choose  for  the  purpose  of 
wiping  them.  Any  post  or  block  of  wood  is  what  they  use  at  their 
own  homes,  and  so  they  are  inclined  to  do  the  same  in  the  houses 
of  Europeans.  In  laying  a  table  there  is  a  similar  trouble  and  a 
similar  training  for  the  girl.  At  her  home  the  house  is  round,  the 
baskets  are  all  round,  a  straight  line  and  a  right  angle  being 
things  unknown  to  her  or  her  parents  before  her.  Day  after  day, 
therefore,  she  will  lay  the  cloth  with  the  folds  anything  but  parallel 
with  the  edge  of  the  table.  Plates,  knives,  and  forks  are  set  down 
in  a  corresponding  manner,  and  it  is  only  after  lessons  often 
repeated,  and  much  annoyance,  that  she  begins  to  see  how  things 
ought  to  be  done  and  tries  to  do  them.  In  the  kitchen  matters 
are  in  a  similar  condition." 

In  spite  of  all  efforts  for  the  spiritual  and  temporal  good  of  the 
women,  eight  years  of  the  Mission  passed  away  without  any  women 
converts  to  sit  down  at  the  Lord's  table.  The  wives  of  the 
missionaries  had  done  their  utmost,  working  as  busily  among  the 
girls  and  women  as  their  husbands  did  among  the  men ;  but  they 
could  not  cope  with  the  necessities  of  the  case.  Dr  Elmslie, 
writing  in  1893,  stated  that  in  this  matter  the  Mission  had  reached 
"a  critical  stage,"  and  that  a  determined  effort  would  require  to  be 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  333 

made  at  once  upon  the  heathenism  of  the  women.  No  policy,  it 
was  felt,  could  be  worse  than  to  neglect  them.  However  much 
might  be  done  amongst  the  men,  what  mattered  it  so  long  as  the 
women  were  steeped  in  superstition  and  without  hope,  going  about 
half  clad,  and  smeared  with  paint  and  grease,  and  living  in  poly- 
gamous slavery  ?  Why,  then,  should  not  devoted  women  mission- 
aries be  sent  to  overtake  this  urgent  work  ?  This  was  the  question 
that  arose  at  this  time,  and  was  answered  in  the  right  way  by  the 
Committee  at  home. 

As  a  commencement  in  the  proper  direction,  Miss  Lizzie  A. 
Stewart,  of  Aberdeen,  a  trained  teacher,  was  sent  out  to  assist  the 
missionaries'  wives.  She  settled  for  some  time  at  Ekwendeni,  in 
Ngoniland,  where  she  took  charge  of  the  girls'  schools,  and 
wrought  specially  for  the  good  of  her  own  sex.  Ultimately  she 
removed  to  the  new  Institution  at  Livingstonia,  where  she  was 
followed  in  1897  by  two  trained  nurses,  Miss  Jackson  and 
Miss  M'Callum.  Others  have  also  been  sent  out  since. 

The  women,  we  are  happy  to  state,  have  at  last  been  impressed 
and  are  flocking  to  church.  Their  persistent  apathy  is  now 
broken ;  they  are  becoming  restless  under  their  thraldom,  and  are 
longing  for  better  things.  They  are  listening  eagerly  to  the 
teaching  of  the  Bible,  and  are  anxious  to  take  up  their  cross 
and  follow  Christ.  This  means  a  severe  wrench,  especially  in 
the  case  of  old  women  long  accustomed  to  the  abominations  of 
heathenism. 

From  the  noble  work  already  achieved  by  these  women  mission- 
aries, it  is  becoming  plainer  every  day  that  Nyasaland  has  need  of 
many  other  good,  sensible,  devoted  women  to  help  forward  the 
Kingdom  of  Christ — women  like  Ann  Judson  and  Mary  Moffat. 
To  men  belongs  the  task  of  opening  the  way  for  the  Gospel, 
making  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  God,  striking  vigorous 
blows  at  the  citadel  of  heathendom,  superintending  the  various 
agencies,  planting  'the  standard  of  the  Gospel,  and  accomplishing 
other  deeds  of  strength  and  wisdom.  But  to  women  belongs  the 
quiet,  patient  labour  in  the  homes  of  the  natives,  striving  to  win 
the  hearts  of  the  wives  and  mothers,  and  to  gain  the  love  of  the 
children.  Let  women  hear  the  tender  call  of  Christ  to  the  foreign 
field! 

Before  concluding  this  chapter,  the  writer  may  answer  one  ques- 
tion that  naturally  arises.  On  hearing  of  all  this  great  work 


334  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

accomplished  by  our  Livingstonia  missionaries,  and  the  enormous 
change  in  the  religious  ideas  of  the  people,  the  reader  may  be 
inclined  to  ask  whether  these  converts  remain  true  to  the  Christian 
religion  and  conduct  themselves  in  a  Christian  manner.  Does  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  influence  their  lives  ?  Has  it  raised  them  in  the 
scale  of  civilisation  and  made  them  better  men  and  women  ?  The 
testimony  from  the  missionaries  and  from  unbiassed  travellers  who 
have  visited  the  country,  is  emphatically  yes.  No  doubt  there 
is  much  that  is  disappointing  in  the  lives  of  some  of  them.  They 
are  not  all  that  we,  who  are  more  enlightened,  could  desire.  But 
when  we  remember  the  previous  years  of  darkness,  unbroken  by  a 
single  ray  of  moral  teaching,  the  enormous  vice  and  degradation 
surrounding  them,  the  many  evil  examples  they  meet  with,  and 
the  ridicule,  persecution,  and  temptation  they  have  to  encounter, 
the  wonder  is  that  so  few  have  been  led  to  declension  and  fallen 
again  into  their  old  heathen  practices.  It  is  no  easy  matter  to  be 
a  Christian  in  such  a  land.  Men  who  have  been  brought  up  in  a 
savage  state,  accustomed  to  draw  their  spear  at  every  insult,  require 
a  large  amount  of  the  grace  of  God  before  they  can  submit  with 
meekness  to  the  malice  and  taunts  of  their  wicked  neighbours. 
But  it  may  be  said  that,  with  the  exception  of  one  now  and  then, 
the  vast  body  of  the  converts  has  always  remained  faithful  to 
Christ.  Many  of  them,  indeed,  have  manifested  remarkable 
Christian  lives,  and  have  witnessed  nobly  for  their  Master,  under 
threats  of  persecution  and  death. 

Professor  Henry  Drummond,  who  visited  Nyasa  in  1883,  gives 
us  a  traveller's  testimony  as  to  the  value  of  the  work  done  in  the 
Mission  during  the  earlier  years.  As  he  intended  making  a  long 
and  lonely  tour  on  the  Tanganyika  Plateau,  he  asked  Dr  Laws  to 
furnish  him  with  a  native  attendant.  He  got  one,  James  Brown 
Mvula,  an  ordinary  native  from  the  Mission.  But  here  is  his 
testimony  of  this  convert,  given  after  close  observation  during 
many  days  and  nights  of  hardship  : — "  Every  night  on  our  march, 
no  matter  how  far  we  had  gone,  no  matter  how  tired  we  were, 
James  gathered  the  little  company  who  could  understand  his 
language,  and  poured  out  his  heart  to  God.  I  have  heard  many 
prayers  that  have  moved  me,  but  I  never  heard  anything  more 
touching  than  the  prayers  of  James.  He  never  closed  without 
praying  for  the  whole  world,  as  it  was  known  to  his  simple  heart. 
It  consisted  of  five  places.  He  asked  God  to  bless  Cape  Maclear, 


EVANGELISTIC  AND  OTHER  WORK  335 

Blantyre,  Bandawe,  Tanganyika,  and  his  native  village.  I  have  no 
time  to  tell  you  more  about  James,  but  I  will  say  this  of  him, 
simply  as  a  traveller — we  know  that  travellers  have  said  unkind 
and  unjust  things  about  missionaries — during  all  the  time  we 
wandered  together  through  those  forests,  although  he  had  control 
of  everything  that  I  had,  although  he  could  have  taken  many 
things  day  by  day  without  my  knowing  it  at  the  time,  I  never 
knew  him  take  a  bead  belonging  to  me.  I  never  found  him  'out 
in  one  single  thing  that  I  could  have  called  a  mistake,  much  less 
a  sin."  * 

So  has  it  been  with  the  great  mass  of  converts  down  to  the 
present  time :  their  lives  have  been  witnesses  to  the  wonderful 
change  made  by  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  If  space  permitted,  the 
writer  might  quote  largely  on  this  matter.  He  would  only  say 
her*,  that  there  are  now  thousands  in  Nyasaland  who  have  made 
a  profession  of  Christianity,  and  are  keeping  the  faith  in  the 
strength  of  Christ.  Once  sunk  in  terrible  evils,  too  great  to  be 
mentioned,  they  have  now  become  new  creatures.  And  the 
truth  of  this  can  be  tested,  not  merely  by  the  statements  of  our 
missionaries,  but  by  the  evidence  of  impartial  travellers. 

It  is  the  same  everywhere.  From  Nyasaland  to  the  New 
Hebrides,  from  Greenland  to  Patagonia,  people  have  alike  con- 
fessed Christ's  power  in  their  hearts.  Demon-worshippers  and 
cannibals,  polytheistic  and  pantheistic  tribes,  have  all  felt  His 
resistless  sway.  Wherever  and  whenever  His  Gospel  of  imperish- 
able truth  has  been  proclaimed,  there  has  followed  the  same  un- 
varying result — as  He  said  Himself,  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the 
earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me." 

What  do  the  opponents  of  foreign  missions  make  of  these  facts  ? 
Surely  it  is  in  ignorance,  culpable  ignorance,  that  any  man  levels 
against  such  work  the  shafts  of  ridicule  and  opposition.  To  fling 
sarcasm  at  missionary  societies,  or  at  missionary  speeches,  is  an 
easy  thing;  but  is  it  just?  Will  it  stand  the  test?  Sydney 
Smith  was  once  a  conspicuous  mocker  of  the  Serampore  mis- 
sionaries, sneering  at  Carey  as  a  "consecrated  cobbler,"  but  he 
came  to  see  the  error  of  his  thoughts,  and  the  "absurdity,"  as 
he  called  it,  of  such  attacks.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson  was  at 
first  prejudiced  against  missions,  but  in  his  later  years  he  com- 
mended everybody  to  examine  the  good  which  they  did  in  Samoa 
*  From  Address  at  Mildmay  Conference,  1894. 


336  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

and  elsewhere.  "Those  who  have  deblattered  against  missions," 
he  said,  "  have  only  one  thing  to  do — to  come  and  see  them  on 
the  spot."  Charles  Darwin  once  disbelieved  in  their  power  to 
work  any  radical  change,  but  he  too  altered  his  mind,  and  ever 
afterwards  spoke  warmly  of  the  results  of  missionary  labour. 
"The  missionary's  teaching,"  he  said,  "is  like  an  enchanter's 
wand."  When  will  opponents  of  foreign  missions  be  like-minded 
and  confess  their  error? 


DAYBREAK  ix  LiviNGSTONiA.  Frontispiece 

GIRLS  AT  LIVINGSTONIA  INSTITUTION. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
THE  INSTITUTION 

PERHAPS  the  most  important  outcome  of  Dr  Laws'  visit  home  in 
1892-94  was  the  definite  resolution  on  the  part  of  the  Committee 
to  gradually  build  and  equip  a  Training  Institution  on  the  higher 
uplands  to  the  west  of  the  Lake,  like  Lovedale  and  Blythswood 
among  the  Kafirs  of  the  south — an  Institution  which  would  be  a 
centre  for  education,  industry,  and  civilisation,  as  well  as  for 
evangelistic  work,  and  would  provide  for  the  development  of 
the  Mission  as  an  organic  whole.  Such  a  thing  was  now  necessary 
in  the  work  of  the  Mission,  and  was  strongly  urged  by  Dr  Laws  in 
the  Assembly  of  1892. 

First  of  all,  an  Institution  was  the  only  means  by  which  native 
evangelists  could  be  properly  trained.  We  all  look  forward  hope- 
fully to  the  time  when  European  missionaries  will  be  no  longer 
required,  but  Central  Africa  will  be  evangelised  by  its  own  sons 
and  daughters,  with  a  self-supporting  and  self-governing  Church. 
Several  generations  may  pass  away  before  this  can  be  accom- 
plished ;  but  we  look  for  it  in  due  time,  for  without  it  there 
can  be  no  ultimate  success.  Indeed,  if  a  mission  fails  in  this 
matter,  the  failure  is  radical  and  fatal.  Bishop  Smythies  of  Nyasa 
has  said  that  in  general  an  educated  African,  on  account  of  his 
lack  of  self-consciousness,  is  a  readier  speaker  and  a  better  preacher 
than  an  Englishman.  Whether  this  be  so  or  not,  no  Englishman 
— or  Scotsman  either — however  great  an  adept  in  language  and 
knowledge,  can  ever  hope  to  reach  the  hearts  of  the  people  so 
efficiently  as  a  native  accustomed  to  their  habits  of  thought  and 
speech,  nor  can  he  do  it  so  economically.  With  his  white  skin, 
he  may  draw  attention  and  command  respect,  but  he  is  known  as 
an  alien,  and  in  some  respects  his  influence  for  good  suffers 
accordingly.  If  the  natives  around  Nyasa  are  to  be  evangelised, 
and  turned  from  the  horrors  of  heathenism  to  the  acceptance  of 
Christ ;  if  they  are  to  be  taught  Christian  duties  and  helped  into 


338  DAT  BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

a  better  social,  moral,  and  spiritual  life ;  if  they  are  to  be  guided 
onward  until  they  become  a  Christian  community,  permeated  by 
the  laws  of  Christ,  these  things  can  only  be  done  satisfactorily  by 
native  evangelists  and  teachers,  male  and  female,  trained  by  the 
missionaries. 

Hence,  as  Dr  Laws  indicated  in  the  Assembly,  there  was  great 
necessity  for  an  Institution,  to  which  promising  pupils  from  the 
various  stations  might  go  for  training.  In  the  past  a  missionary 
had  to  get  assistance  from  older  stations,  or  train  native  helpers 
for  himself  as  best  he  could.  But  now  the  missionary  in  charge 
of  each  district  would  select  pupils  who  showed  promise  of  future 
usefulness  in  Christian  work,  and  send  them  for  training  to  the 
Institution ;  while  the  qualified  teachers  at  the  Institution  would 
do  their  utmost  to  develop  in  these  pupils  a  thorough  Christian 
character,  giving  them  a  Christian  education  and  fitting  them  for 
helping  the  missionary  on  their  return  to  their  homes.  What  can 
be  better  than  this  for  the  evangelisation  of  the  great  Continent  ? 
It  is  a  plan  which  not  only  ensures  the  production  of  properly 
trained  men,  but  by  so  doing  relieves  the  missionary  in  charge 
of  each  station  from  the  labour  of  training  them  himself — a  labour 
for  which  he  has  neither  time  nor  appliances — thus  leaving  him 
free  to  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist  and  superintend  his  outposts 
more  thoroughly. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  this  was  the  far-reaching  plan 
which  Mackay  of  Uganda  longed  to  put  into  execution.  He  held 
that  here  and  there,  throughout  Africa,  strong  Institutions  of  the 
kind  just  described  should  be  established.  The  opinion  of  such 
a  great  African  missionary,  the  "St  Paul  of  Uganda,"  respected 
for  his  apostolic  life  and  clearness  of  judgment,  is  of  some  value. 
"  Instead,"  he  wrote,  "  of  vainly  struggling  to  perpetuate  the 
method  of  feebly-manned  stations,  each  holding  only  precarious 
existence,  and  never  able  at  best  to  exert  more  than  a  local 
influence,  let  us  select  a  few  particularly  healthy  sites,  on  each 
of  which  we  shall  raise  an  Institution  for  imparting  a  thorough 
education,  even  to  only  a  few.  .  .  .  Each  Institution  must  be 
a  model  or  normal  school,  no  one  being  admitted  on  the  staff 
who  has  not  been  trained  to  teach.  The  pupils  to  receive  not 
an  elementary,  but  as  high  an  education  as  is  in  the  power  of 
their  teachers  to  impart,  only  with  the  proviso  that  every  pupil 
is  to  become  a  teacher  himself.  .  .  .  From  these  centres,  each 


THE  INSTITUTION  339 

with  a  large  staff  of  teachers,  the  students  will  go  forth  to  labour 
among  their  countrymen.  .  .  .  Lovedale  and  Blythswood,  in  South 
Africa,  I  would  mention  as  types  already  successful  in  no  ordinary 
degree."  * 

There  was  also  another,  although  perhaps  subordinate  necessity 
for  such  an  Institution  in  Nyasaland,  owing  to  the  political  changes 
which  had  occurred.  Nyasaland  had  come  under  the  influence  of 
British  power,  and  now  formed  part  of  a  British  Protectorate. 
This  meant  future  progress  on  certain  lines  which  always  accom- 
pany British  rule.  The  English  language,  for  instance,  was  now 
destined  to  become  the  ruling  tongue  in  the  country,  as  it  had 
become  in  South  Africa.  Large  numbers  of  Europeans  were  to 
enter  the  Protectorate  for  commercial  and  artisan  purposes.  In 
fact,  the  whole  condition  of  the  country  was  about  to  change. 
All  this  pointed  to  the  necessity  of  education  beyond  what  had 
been,  or  could  be,  undertaken  at  the  ordinary  Mission  stations. 
The  native  Christians  would  require  to  be  prepared  to  fill  their 
places  worthily  under  the  changed  conditions.  The  ordinary 
education  given  to  them  when  the  missionaries  first  went  among 
them  would  have  to  be  greatly  extended  and  adapted  to  the  march 
of  civilisation  and  commerce. 

It  was  agreed  to  go  forward  at  once,  and  so  Dr  Laws  was 
authorised  to  make  arrangements  for  its  commencement.  He 
had  already  become  acquainted  with  the  best  Training  Institu- 
tions of  this  kind  in  South  Africa  and  America,  and  had  just 
organised  one  for  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  in  Old  Calabar. 
Accordingly,  on  his  return  to  Lake  Nyasa  in  1894,  he  set  about 
choosing  a  site — somewhere  on  the  uplands  to  the  west  of  the 
Lake.  This  was  not  a  thing  that  could  be  done  in  a  day  or 
even  a  month,  as  various  important  matters  had  to  be  taken  into 
consideration.  Among  other  things,  the  site  required  to  be  within 
easy  access  of  the  Lake,  while  it  was  also  necessary  that  there 
should  be  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  and  wood  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and  that  the  district  should,  above  all,  be  a  healthy 

*  Church  Missionary  Intelligences,  January  1890.  This  was  the  last  com- 
munication sent  for  publication  to  his  Committee  at  home,  and  thus  contains  his 
latest  views.  See  chapter  xvi.  of  his  Life,  p.  445,  et  seq.  Mackay  applied  to 
join  the  Livingstonia  Mission  in  1875,  but  owing  to  some  error  or  oversight  his 
application  was  not  accepted,  and  when  an  opening  occurred  for  him  it  was  too 
late  to  remedy  the  mistake. 


340  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

one.  But  no  effort  was  spared  in  the  matter.  In  an  interesting 
report  which  Dr  Laws  sent  home,  and  which  contained  many 
important  geographical  and  descriptive  notes,  he  gave  an  account 
of  the  preliminary  search  in  which  he  was  accompanied  by  his 
colleague  Dr  Elmslie,  and  which  resulted  in  fixing  temporarily  on 
a  place  watered  by  a  little  stream  called  Kondowe. 

This  place,  which  has  an  abundance  of  wood  and  of  water 
power,  is  near  the  top  of  a  mountain  known  by  the  natives  as 
Mount  Chombe,  but  generally  called  Mount  Waller,  after  the 
well-known  editor  of  Livingstone's  Last  Journals.  This  mountain 
is  a  remarkable  work  of  nature.  It  is  flat  on  the  top,  and  rises 
from  the  Lake  shore  at  Florence  Bay  to  a  height  of  2900  feet 
above  the  Lake,  or  4300  above  sea-level — about  the  same  height 
as  Ben  Nevis.  Seen  from  the  north-east,  it  presents  a  very  striking 
picture,  as  it  has  several  parallel  ranges  of  almost  perpendicular 
sandstone  cliffs  running  along  its  sides,  thus  giving  it  a  terraced 
appearance,  while  the  rocks  which  jut  out  from  the  highest 
precipice  form  an  all  but  perfect  silhouette  of  a  woman,  looking 
out  across  the  Lake  to  the  other  side — a  fit  picture  of  Western 
Nyasa  looking  in  vain  for  the  return  of  her  children  once  dragged 
away  into  bitter  slavery.  At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  is  one 
of  the  ferries  where  they  were  carried  across  in  those  cruel  days 
of  old,  until  the  land  was  left  almost  desolate.  About  four  miles 
north-west  of  Mount  Waller  is  a  fine  island-looking  plateau,  and 
here  Dr  Laws  resolved  to  make  an  observing  station,  with  a 
view  to  testing  the  locality  during  the  rainy  season.  No  place 
along  the  Stevenson  Road  or  south  of  it  seemed  to  be  so  suitable 
as  this  one,  sometimes  called  Kondowe  after  its  little  stream. 

Along  with  Mrs  Laws,  Mr  William  Murray,  and  a  number  of 
Tonga  workers,  he  settled  down  at  this  place  in  November  1894, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season.  "  Those  living  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  Manchewe  and  Kazichi  Falls  are  nearest  to  us," 
wrote  Dr  Laws.  "  The  attacks  of  their  enemies  have  driven  the 
people  into  these  natural  fastnesses ;  but  it  is  a  pitiable  sight 
to  see  people  living  in  houses  perched  on  ledges  on  the  cliffs 
of  the  rocks,  or  inhabiting  the  natural  caves  among  these;  and 
to  see  little  children  playing  about  on  the  edges  of  precipices 
one  hundred  or  two  hundred  feet  deep  makes  a  person  give  an 
involuntary  shudder  lest  they  should  fall  over.  .  .  .  From  Mr 
A.  J.  Swann,  the  resident  magistrate  at  Deep  Bay,  we  have 


THE  INSTITUTION  341 

received  very  great  and  kind  assistance  in  the  beginning  of  our 
work." 

On  the  night  of  6th  January  1895,  the  new  house,  which  had 
almost  been  completed,  was  levelled  to  the  ground  by  a  tornado. 
But,  in  spite  of  all  discouragements,  work  went  on  with  a  great 
swing.  From  morning  to  night  men  busied  themselves  hoeing 
roads,  cultivating  the  land,  making  bricks,  and  drawing  trees 
from  the  mountain.  A  workshop,  a  store,  and  other  buildings 
were  erected,  these  being,  of  course,  mostly  of  a  temporary  nature, 
in  view  of  large,  solid,  well-equipped  stone  buildings  in  the  future. 
The  place  was  improved  by  the  addition  of  several  valuable 
meteorological  instruments,  the  gift  of  Lord  Overtoun,  such  as 
barograph  and  thermograph,  as  well  as  by  many  economical  and 
medicinal  plants  supplied  by  Professor  Bayley  Balfour,  of  the 
Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  and  by  other  persons  interested.  Large 
gardens  and  an  excellent  farm  were  laid  out  by  Mr  Malcolm 
Moffat,  the  agriculturist  to  the  Mission,  a  grandson  of  the  great 
South  African  Missionary. 

Dr  Laws'  residence  in  the  place  only  confirmed  him  the  more 
in  his  choice  of  it;  and  so,  in  May  1895,  it  was  definitely  fixed 
upon  as  the  site  of  the  new  Institution.  The  land  in  the  neighbour- 
hood was  the  property  of  the  British  South  Africa  Company; 
but,  following  the  precedent  set  by  the  British  East  Africa 
Company  in  the  case  of  Kibwezi,  the  Directors  granted  the 
Mission  a  large  tract  of  land,  subject  only  to  overlordship  as  to 
minerals,  in  order  that  the  Institution  might  be  a  fit  centre  of 
civilisation  in  the  direction  of  Uganda  and  Cairo.  In  1898  the 
advantages  of  the  place  were  increased  by  the  reception  of  the 
telegraph  wire  at  Florence  Bay  on  the  way  from  Blantyre  to 
Tanganyika ;  and  as  Dr  Laws  had  already  got  some  of  the  native 
converts  trained  in  telegraphy,  as  well  as  in  the  English  education 
required  for  such  work,  the  Institution  was  at  once  brought  into 
close  connection  with  the  outside  world.  On  the  loth  of  January 
1899,  a  message  sent  by  Dr  Laws  from  Florence  Bay  reached 
Edinburgh  in  two  hours — a  most  marvellous  improvement  on  the 
days  when  the  first  mail  from  Scotland  to  Nyasa  took  thirteen 
months  on  the  way !  There  is  now  a  telegraph  loop  line  from 
the  Institution  down  to  Florence  Bay — a  distance  of  five  miles — 
and  also  a  telephone  wire  running  on  the  same  poles,  so  that  this 
new  Lovedale  is  now  not  only  in  easy  communication  with  the 


342  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

Lake  shore  and  steamers  calling  there,  but  is  placed  abreast  of 
the  highest  advantages  of  the  West. 

No  sooner  were  temporary  buildings  ready  and  classes  com- 
menced than  scores  pled  for  admission ;  but,  owing  to  want  of 
room,  it  was  found  absolutely  necessary  to  shut  the  door  on  many. 
Even  at  the  present  day,  with  enlarged  accommodation,  there  is 
not  sufficient  room  for  all  who  would  willingly  enter.  But,  as  it 
is,  the  number  admitted  is  not  small.  According  to  the  latest 
report,  "  Besides  pupils  coming  from  their  homes  near  by,  there 
are  two  hundred  and  seven  boy  and  fifty-one  girl  boarders.  There 
are  fifty-one  apprentices  in  the  different  departments,  and  counting 
the  families  of  the  married  students  and  the  cooks  in  the  boarding 
department,  daily  rations  have  to  be  provided  for  three  hundred 
and  twenty-two  persons,  to  the  amount  of  a  quarter  of  a  ton  daily." 
The  pupils  come  from  all  parts,  their  homes  being  spread  over 
three  hundred  miles  of  country,  including  many  tribes.  All  the 
peoples  along  the  western  shore  of  Nyasa  and  upwards  towards 
the  shores  of  Tanganyika  are  more  or  less  represented. 

On  account  of  the  diversity  of  tongues  it  is  not  easy  to  conduct 
the  work  with  perfect  satisfaction.  Nyanja,  Tonga,  Henga,  Ngoni, 
Konde,  and  other  languages,  possessing  striking  points  of  difference, 
are  freely  spoken,  constituting  the  place  a  very  Babel.  Some  of 
the  vernacular  services,  in  fact,  enjoy  a  veritable  gift  of  tongues, 
and  the  worshippers,  like  the  people  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  may 
well  exclaim,  "How  hear  we  every  man  in  our  own  tongue, 
wherein  we  were  born?"  With  a  view  to  thoroughly  effective 
teaching,  the  missionaries  are  trying  to  adopt  the  Nyanja  as  a 
common  ground,  or  lingua  franca,  enriched  by  such  words  as  may 
be  adopted  from  the  other  languages.  Fortunately  for  this  result, 
the  African  is  a  born  linguist.  "  One  does  not  need  extraordinary 
penetration,"  writes  Rev.  James  Henderson,  "  to  see  that  the  strife 
of  tongues  which  will  soon  be  raging  all  over  the  country  has 
already  begun  here,  and  that  something,  how  much  it  is  hard  to 
say,  is  being  done  towards  the  evolution  of  that  composite 
language,  which,  like  as  our  own  English  did  with  the  slower  pace 
of  earlier  days,  will  spring  out  of  the  many  tongues  of  the  various 
tribes  when  the  common  British  rule  and  good  internal  com- 
munication have  begun  to  fuse  them  into  unity." 

The  education  given  is  of  a  varied  nature,  suited  to  the  desires 
and  needs  of  the  pupils,  but  intended  in  every  case  to  worthily 


THE  INSTITUTION  343 

equip  them  for  the  work  of  evangelising  British  Central  Africa. 
The  following  summary  of  the  programme,  which  is  being  steadily 
pushed  forward  towards  completion,  will  give  the  reader  some 
idea  of  the  instruction  provided  : — 

1.  Educational:    This     consists     of    an     Elementary    School 
(Standard  I.),  a   Junior  School  (Standards  II.,  III.  and  IV.),  a 
Normal  Department  (Standards  V.,  VI.  and  ex-VI.,  with  special 
subjects),  and  an  Evening  School  for  adult  workers  on  the  Station. 
The  Elementary  School  does  not  consist  of  children  drawn  from 
other  stations,   but   is  a  local  one,  and  is  worked  as  a  model 
village  school,  forming  the  practising  one  for  the  Normal  De- 
partment. 

2.  Theological:  Intended  to  meet  the  needs  of  both  pastors 
and  evangelists.     Those  training  for  pastors  undertake  the  regular 
Normal  course  first,  so  as  to  be  able  to  keep  in  touch  with  the 
work  of  teachers  in  school  and  take  an  intelligent  and  sympathetic 
interest  in  educational  matters.     Those  training  for  evangelists  are 
specially  selected  on  account  of  their  good,  steady,  reliable  character, 
and  their  Christian  earnestness  in  the  extension  of  Christ's  kingdom, 
and  use  the  Bible,  black-board,  note-book,  diagrams,  and  pictures 
as  the  means  of  study — the  aim  being  to  know  the  Bible  rather 
than  to  know  about  it. 

3.  Industrial:  The  pupils  of  the  Elementary  School  are  taught 
the  native  industries   of  basket  and  mat-making.     Those  more 
advanced  receive  instruction  in  any  of  the  following : — agriculture, 
carpentry,  building,  printing,  bookbinding,  iron  work,  storekeeping, 
and    telegraphy.     Such    instruction   develops  the  powers  of  the 
pupils,  and  leads  to  habits  of  thrifty,  patient,  diligent,  and  per- 
severing industry.     Some  become  apprentices  to  one  or  other  of 
these  trades,  so  as  in  the  future  to  earn  their  daily  bread  in  an 
honourable,  Christian  manner. 

4.  Medical:  This  consists  mainly  of  elementary  medical  know- 
ledge and  training  under  the  medical  missionaries  and  trained 
nurses,  with  the  use  of  a  small  hospital  for  serious  cases. 

In  addition  to  this  varied  programme  intended  for  boys,  there 
is  an  excellent  one  for  girls,  consisting  of  educational  and  industrial 
training,  the  latter  including  household  work,  sewing,  washing,  and 
baking. 

It  is  matter  for  gratitude  that  the  pupils  have  an  earnest  desire 
to  learn.  Many  of  them  show  a  great  and  steady  thirst  for  know- 


344  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTONIA 

ledge,  such  as  can  scarcely  be  surpassed  in  the  colleges  of  our 
own  country.  They  seem  to  regard  as  a  favour  the  communica- 
tion of  fresh  information  to  them,  or  the  correction  of  any  false 
impressions  or  inaccuracies  they  may  have.  "The  pupils,"  says 
Mr  Henderson,  "can  scarcely  be  satisfied.  Were  the  writer  to 
allow  it,  his  room  would  be  filled  night  by  night  with  a  crowd  of 
eager  opening  minds,  each  bringing  some  new  question  or  difficulty 
to  be  solved.  This  eagerness,  too,  comes  not  of  the  novelty  of 
the  situation  :  it  has  been  going  on  since  the  schools  were  first 
opened."  Such  a  spirit  of  zeal  augurs  well  for  the  future  of  the 
country. 

There  is  a  Preachers'  Class  held  every  Friday  evening,  attended 
by  most  of  the  older  members  of  the  Institution,  and  conducted 
with  a  view  to  helping  them  in  aggressive  Christian  effort.  Notes 
of  a  discourse  are  written  down  on  a  blackboard,  and  oral  in- 
struction is  given.  "At  the  close  of  the  class,"  says  Dr  Laws, 
"  volunteers  are  called  for  to  go  to  preach  at  the  different  villages, 
beginning  with  the  more  distant.  They  go  to  these  two  and  two. 
No  pay  is  given  for  this  evangelistic  work,  but  a  few  beads  are 
usually  given  to  enable  them  to  buy  food  at  the  distant  villages. 
To  reach  these,  the  preachers  have  to  leave  on  Saturday  forenoon, 
descend  some  2900  feet  to  the  Lake  shore,  and  walk  from  five  to 
ten  miles  along  rough,  broken  paths  to  their  destinations.  They 
return  on  Monday  in  time  for  afternoon  school."  For  those  look- 
ing forward  to  becoming  evangelists  and  pastors,  this  class  is  of 
great  value,  and  the  practical  work  arising  from  it  fits  them  to 
endure  the  hardness  in  store  for  them  in  the  future. 

The  character  and  tone  of  the  Institution  may  be  gathered  from 
an  interesting  letter  by  Donald  Fraser,  who  visited  it  in  1897, 
travelling  on  foot  from  his  own  hill  Station  at  Ekwendeni.  "  Some 
weeks  ago,"  he  says,  "  I  went  to  visit  Livingstonia.  Nearly  one 
hundred  people  accompanied  me,  some  of  them  going  to  see 
their  friends  who  are  at  the  Institution,  others  to  seek  work  there. 
The  journey  was  long  and  tiresome,  for  the  grass  on  either  side 
of  the  ten-inch  path  grew  very  high  and  thick.  Almost  all  through 
the  last  day's  march  we  could  see  in  front  of  us  the  high  plateau 
on  which  Livingstonia  is  built.  But  what  a  multitude  of  hills  and 
ravines  had  first  to  be  crossed  !  Nature  has  certainly  guarded  the 
Institution  from  the  visits  of  the  disinterested.  When,  however, 
you  have  reached  the  plateau  your  courage  is  amply  rewarded,  for 


THE  INSTITUTION  345 

the  situation  is  magnificent.  Before  you,  but  nearly  3000  feet 
below,  stretch  the  great  waters  of  Nyasa,  and  from  the  opposite 
shore  the  Livingstone  Mountains  rise  sheer  to  the  height  of  7000 
feet.  .  .  . 

"  Of  course,  I  did  not  expect  to  find  Lovedale  here,  for  Living- 
stonia  is  not  yet  three  years  old,  while  Lovedale  is  more  than  fifty. 
Yet  the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  that  short  time  is  quite 
remarkable.  .  .  .  The  schools  had  the  deepest  interest  for  me,  for 
there  the  boys  and  girls  who  are  to  be  our  teachers  and  evangelists 
are  being  trained.  I  found  Miss  Stewart  teaching  in  a  stuffy 
corridor,  and  Mr  Henderson  among  the  distractions  of  plastering. 
But  what  has  been  accomplished  in  the  face  of  these  pioneering 
difficulties  compels  faith  in  the  possibilities  of  the  Institution. 
Day  by  day  the  girls  are  being  trained  to  habits  of  cleanliness  and 
regularity.  Some  of  them  are  making  progress  in  education  ;  but 
more  important  than  that  is  the  training  in  domestic  duties,  and 
the  forming  of  a  pure  and  stable  character.  .  .  .  The  boys' 
school  is  beginning  to  discover  the  capabilities  of  a  Central 
African.  Some  of  the  pupils  who  were  sent  from  Ngoniland 
two  years  ago  are  to-day  further  advanced  than  our  senior 
teachers.  Already  Dr  Laws  and  Mr  Henderson  have  visions  of 
a  theological  class  for  the  training  of  a  native  ministry.  Towards 
that  great  day,  when  we  shall  be  able  to  ordain  our  first  minister, 
we  look  forward  with  an  eager  faith. 

"  But  the  feature  that  struck  me  most  was  the  pains  that  are 
taken  to  produce  sincere  and  ripe  character.  There  is  no  pander- 
ing to  African  pride  or  indolence.  Hard  work  is  the  rule  of  the 
day,  and  everyone  has  to  take  his  turn  at  manual  labour.  The 
ordained  missionary  will  sometimes  be  seen  on  the  brick-field,  and 
the  native  teacher  sweeping  the  roads.  There  is  certainly  no  lack 
of  religious  services.  Every  day  and  all  day  Christ  is  presented 
to  the  people.  The  early  morning  opens  with  the  sound  of  praise, 
and  again,  after  the  mid-day  rest,  the  workers  meet  to  hear  God's 
Word  read  and  expounded.  On  Sabbaths  the  scholars  scatter  to 
the  neighbouring  villages  to  preach;  some  of  them  start  on 
Saturday,  going  an  entire  day's  journey  on  foot.  In  this  way 
sometimes  not  less  than  forty-four  village  services  are  held  on 
one  day.  .  .  .  Everything  is  so  new  and  stirring,  I  wish  I  could 
help  people  to  appreciate  what  I  see." 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  present  Institution  buildings 


346  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

are  only  temporary.  In  fact,  when  the  work  was  commenced  at 
the  place,  a  choice  had  to  be  made  between  two  plans  of  pro- 
cedure— either  to  wait  till  proper,  permanent  buildings  had  been 
erected,  before  admitting  pupils,  or  be  content  with  mere 
temporary  buildings  affording  very  inadequate  accommodation 
but  at  the  same  time  allowing  the  work  of  teaching  to  be  com- 
menced at  once  and  thus  saving  years  of  delay  in  the  service  to 
be  rendered  to  the  other  Stations.  The  latter  plan  was  adopted 
as  best  helping  the  Mission  as  a  whole,  although  entailing  more 
inconvenience  on  the  staff. 

Now,  however,  preparations  are  being  made  by  Dr  Laws  for 
permanent  erections  of  a  solid,  extensive,  and  well-equipped  nature. 
A  ground  plan  for  the  Station  has  been  prepared,  providing  for 
the  extension  as  may  be  required.  It  will  not  be  easy  work,  if  we 
remember  the  circumstances  in  which  labour  is  carried  on  in 
Central  Africa.  At  home,  a  builder  can  procure  bricks  ready- 
made  from  the  brick-field,  or  stones  from  the  quarry,  and  the 
carpenter  can  secure  his  planks  and  boards  from  the  wood- 
merchant,  but  at  Lake  Nyasa  the  raw  materials  in  the  shape  of 
clay,  rock,  and  forest  trees  are  the  only  supplies  available.  This 
means  much  arduous  and  protracted  labour,  but  the  perseverance 
and  skill  of  Dr  Laws  are  equal  to  it. 

The  permanent  buildings  are  being  taken  up  in  the  following 
order  as  most  necessary  and  economic.  First,  dwelling  houses  for 
the  staff,  as  their  good  health  is  essential  to  efficiency  for  work. 
Then,  workshop  accommodation  for  the  industrial  departments, 
homes  for  the  boys  and  girls,  hospital,  educational  buildings,  and 
church. 

An  abundance  of  good,  pure  water  is  essential  for  the  future 
health  of  the  community  of  the  Institution.  This  can  be  had 
from  the  mountains  behind,  but  requires  to  be  brought  across  a 
valley  in  a  steel  pipe  to  the  highest  point  on  the  Station.  The 
cost  of  bringing  in  such  a  water  supply  has  been  estimated  at 
^"4000,  and  this  most  important  requisite  for  future  public  health 
has  been  provided  through  the  generosity  of  Lord  Overtoun. 

The  food  supply  for  such  an  immense  Institution  is  a  serious 
item.  Already,  a  quarter  of  a  ton  is  required  for  the  daily  ration, 
and  in  the  past  much  of  this  has  had  to  be  procured  from 
Kota-Kota  and  Bandawe,  as  well  as  from  places  nearer  at  hand. 
But  arrangements  are  being  made  to  have  all  necessary  supplies 


Ground  Plan  of  the  S 
Missionary 


GROUND   PLAN   OY  THE   SITE  OF  TH1 


/INGSTONIA  MISSIONARY  INSTITUTION. 


THE  INSTITUTION  347 

provided  locally.  Land  in  the  vicinity  is  being  gradually  brought 
under  cultivation,  bullocks  have  been  trained  for  work,  and  the 
plough  is  taking  the  place  of  the  native  hoe.  The  want  of  proper 
grinding  apparatus  has  only  permitted  of  wheat  meal  being  made 
in  the  past,  but  the  gift  of  a  roller  flour  mill  by  a  friend  in 
America,  and  the  rest  of  the  requisite  milling  plant  by  other 
friends,  makes  it  possible  now  to  have  good,  wholesome,  home- 
grown wheaten  bread  in  the  near  future.  "  A  threshing  mill  for 
the  barn,"  says  Dr  Laws,  "  several  carts,  and  various  implements 
for  farming  are  still  required.  The  old  adage  that  an  army  can 
only  march  on  its  stomach  is  equally  true  of  the  Livingstonia 
Institution,  and  hence  the  necessity  for  fully  equipping  the 
agricultural  department." 

In  the  neighbourhood  there  is  abundant  water  power,  and  the 
Livingstonia  Committee  has  resolved  to  facilitate  the  erection  of 
buildings  by  utilising  this  for  machinery.  A  turbine,  circular-saw, 
band-saw,  planing  and  grooving  machines  have  already  been  sent 
out  for  this  purpose.  So  much  did  the  Mission  staff  feel  the 
necessity  of  these,  that  they  personally  met  most  of  the  cost  of 
them. 

This  water  power  will  also  provide  a  means  of  generating 
electricity  for  lighting  the  Station,  and  supplying  power  to  the 
permanent  workshops.  At  present  kerosene  oil  is  used  for 
lighting,  but  at  Livingstonia  it  costs  as  many  shillings  per  gallon 
as  it  costs  pence  in  Edinburgh,  and  consequently  only  what  is 
absolutely  necessary  is  used.  "  When  pupils,"  says  Dr  Laws, 
"are  seen  standing  outside  the  windows  with  their  books  while 
the  evening  school  is  being  conducted,  that  they  may  read  by  the 
light  coming  from  the  interior,  the  desire  to  provide  light  for  study 
and  work  cannot  be  repressed.  Careful  consideration  has  shown 
that  electricity  is  the  most  economical  method  of  doing  so." 

This  electric  installation  will  involve  a  very  considerable  initial 
cost,  but  it  will  prove  most  economical  in  the  long  run  owing  to 
the  fact  that  power  will  thus  be  transmitted  to  the  different  work- 
shops and  to  the  farm  homestead.  "A  dynamo  for  generating 
electricity,"  says  Dr  Laws,  "will  be  required  at  the  waterfall,  a 
motor  for  threshing  and  flour  mills  at  the  homestead,  another 
motor  for  the  printing  office,  and  one  or  two  more  for  the 
machinery  in  the  carpentry  and  blacksmith  departments." 

In  the  medical  department,  the  need  of  hospital  accommoda- 


348  DAYBREAK  IN  LIFINGSTONIA 

tion  is  being  increasingly  felt,  but  a  few  subscriptions  towards  a 
fully  equipped  building  have  already  been  promised. 

From  the  description  which  we  have  given  in  this  chapter, 
brief  and  imperfect  though  it  is,  the  reader  will  understand  the 
incalculable  value  of  such  an  Institution  in  Central  Africa.  The 
University  of  Edinburgh  is  surmounted  by  a  dome,  which  the 
liberality  of  a  citizen  enabled  it  to  rear,  with  the  image  of  a  youth 
grasping  firmly  a  large  torch,  and  holding  it  up  as  a  guide  to  him- 
self and  others.  Such  is  this  Institution,  shedding  the  radiance 
of  Heaven  over  Afric's  benighted  millions.  The  sending  out  of 
even  half  of  the  pupils  as  pastors  or  teachers,  specially  trained, 
means  marvellous  light,  progress,  and  hope  for  Nyasaland.  It 
means  the  conversion  of  thousands  within  the  next  few  years  from 
gross  superstition  to  faith  in  Christ,  the  turning  of  them  into 
useful,  God-fearing,  and  law-abiding  people,  and,  in  short,  the 
complete  transformation  of  the  country.  It  is  not  too  much  to 
say  that  by  means  of  the  native  converts,  trained  in  this  Institution, 
all  the  untouched  areas  in  the  present  Livingstonia  field  will  be 
evangelised,  and  native  teachers  settled  in  them,  within  the  next 
twenty-five  years — before  the  Jubilee  of  the  Mission.  This  is  no 
dream,  but  a  sober  vision  of  the  future,  dependent  only  for  its 
fulfilment  on  the  adequate  support  of  people  at  home,  and  the 
continuance  of  that  divine  favour  which  has  never  failed  in  the 
past. 


CHAPTER  XX 
CONCLUSION 

IT  was  in  May  1875,  that  the  first  band  of  seven  Livingstonia 
missionaries  left  home  and  country  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  They 
left  in  obedience  to  God's  call,  and  with  faith  in  His  divine  power. 
They  entered  upon  an  unknown  and  untried  path,  with  the  map 
of  Central  Africa  as  yet  unfilled.  They  reached  their  sphere  of 
labour  only  after  a  long  and  toilsome  journey  of  five  months,  and 
settled  down  among  a  people  who  never  before  had  heard  of 
the  true  God,  and  who  were  distracted  with  slavery  and  internal 
troubles.  They  began  work  under  circumstances  the  most  un- 
promising, knowing  only  a  few  of  the  native  words,  and  having 
to  struggle  daily  with  a  darkness  and  ignorance  that  had  been 
unbroken  through  all  the  centuries.  They  toiled,  watched,  and 
prayed  without  ceasing,  amid  the  hopes  of  many  friends  of  Africa, 
but  amid  the  doubts  and  derisions  of  others.  Since  then,  what 
hath  God  wrought  in  the  Livingstonia  Mission !  There  is  no 
longer  a  vestige  of  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  in  planting  it ;  and 
what  a  history  of  success  there  is  for  the  encouragement  of  the 
Church  at  home ! 

The  interest  taken  in  the  Mission  at  the  outset  has  been 
constantly  continued.  Men  have  always  been  forthcoming  who 
declared  themselves  willing  and  ready  to  take  their  lives  in  their 
hands  as  missionaries  in  this  dark  interior,  the  chief  difficulty 
being  not  so  much  to  find  men  as  to  find  the  means  of  support 
for  them.  Those  who  ventured  out  in  the  earlier  years,  and 
have  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day,  have  been  remarkable 
for  their  valour,  their  skill,  and  their  effectiveness ;  and  the  same 
may  be  said  of  the  present  band.  In  the  names  of  Dr  Stewart 
Mr  Bain,  Mr  James  Stewart,  Dr  Henry,  Dr  Elmslie,  and  many 
others,  as  well  as  of  that  missionary  hero,  Dr  Laws,  we  find  men 
who,  from  their  self-sacrifice,  their  devoted  Christian  character, 


350  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

and  their  efforts  for  the  good  of  Africa,  deserve  to  be  ranked 
alongside  of  David  Livingstone. 

Year  after  year,  as  shown  in  these  pages,  there  has  been 
an  increasing  success.  In  fact,  with  the  exception  perhaps  01 
Uganda,  no  mission  to  the  dark  races  of  mankind  has  been  so 
rapidly  successful,  whether  spiritually  or  otherwise.  For  long 
years  the  cry  was,  "  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?  "  and  in  faith 
the  messengers  of  Christ  on  the  shores  of  Nyasa  replied,  "The 
morning  cometh."  We  are  already  past  the  dawn,  and  the  light 
is  now  clear  and  bright.  In  many  a  country,  less  uncivilised  and 
savage,  faithful  men  have  sown  the  seed  of  the  Gospel  for  many 
years  without  seeing  any  good  results,  always  resting  their  hope 
upon  God  and  trusting  Him  for  the  harvest.  But  in  Nyasaland 
our  missionaries  have  year  by  year  seen  Christianity  extending 
under  their  eyes,  at  first  slowly,  but  latterly  in  a  rapid  and 
triumphant  manner,  like  the  morning  sunlight,  which  first  tips 
the  mountain  peaks  and  then  visibly  widens  until  much  of  the 
landscape  is  bathed  in  floods  of  splendour.  That  splendour  is 
now  being  seen  in  these  once  mysterious  regions.  The  dense, 
impenetrable  darkness  which  has  overshadowed  the  country 
through  untold  ages  is  now  receding.  The  ignorance,  the 
superstitions,  the  nameless  atrocities  that  once  abounded  in  many 
a  kraal  are  disappearing,  having  given  way  to  the  pure  and 
undefiled  religion  of  Jesus.  The  tribes  that  thirsted  for  war  are 
becoming  peaceful,  and  the  weaker  ones  are  no  longer  oppressed. 
The  horrid  traffic  in  human  flesh  and  blood  has  been  supplanted 
by  honourable  commerce  and  the  arts  of  civilised  life.  Great 
awakenings  have  taken  place  since  that  historic  time  when  the 
first  Mission  band  sailed  up  the  Shire.  Hymns  are  now  being 
sung  to  Jesus  and  fervent  prayers  offered  to  Him  in  many  a 
village  that  was  once  the  home  of  cruelty  and  superstition. 
Bibles  are  being  read  and  treasured  by  thousands  who  never 
heard  of  a  Saviour  till  the  white  messengers  went.  Services  for 
the  worship  of  the  only  living  and  true  God  are  being  held  by 
native  preachers,  and  sacramental  gatherings  of  such  a  remarkable 
nature  are  taking  place  that  to  find  a  parallel  to  them  we  must  go 
back  to  Pentecost  or  to  the  historical  revivals  of  Scotland.  The 
great  inland  sea,  of  which  David  Livingstone  spoke  so  much,  is 
being  girded  round  with  Christian  settlements,  and  the  country  is 
being  taken  possession  of  for  Christ. 


CONCLUSION  351 

"Lo,  the  curtain  now  is  lifting 

From  thy  mountains  and  thy  lakes  : 
O'er  thy  peopled  valleys  gleaming, 
Now  for  thee  the  daybeatn  wakes — 

Land  of  darkness  ! 
O'er  thy  hills  the  morning  breaks." 

If  it  be  remembered  that  when  the  Mission  party  first  went  to 
the  Lake  in  1875,  there  were  no  schools,  no  scholars,  and  no 
written  language,  we  see  that  the  present  results  are  very  great 
indeed,  "  surpassing  fable  and  yet  true,"  and  they  may  well  dispel 
all  doubts  as  to  the  good  of  Foreign  Missions.  Voltaire  said 
that  in  twenty  years  Christianity  would  be  no  more :  his  single 
hand  would  destroy  the  edifice  which  it  had  taken  twelve  apostles 
to  rear.  But  what  an  answer  is  this  to  his  proud,  boasting  state- 
ment !  "  Whoso  is  wise,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  and  will  observe  these 
things,  even  they  shall  understand  the  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord." 

We  may  indeed  be  thankful  that  the  Gospel  has  borne  such 
marvellous  fruit  in  these  dark  regions.  No  doubt,  from  a  human 
standpoint,  this  advance  is  greatly  due  to  the  careful  actions, 
liberal  assistance,  and  broad  missionary  views  of  the  Committee 
in  Glasgow,  who  take  the  whole  financial  and  administrative 
management  of  the  Mission,  with  the  help  and  concurrence  of 
the  General  Assembly.  It  is  also  due,  in  some  measure,  to  the 
faithfulness  of  Dr  Laws  and  the  other  missionaries,  and  especially 
to  their  medical  and  surgical  skill,  which  have  won  the  confidence 
and  affection  of  the  people.  But  from  a  Christian  standpoint, 
the  result  must  be  attributed,  with  all  humility  and  gratitude,  to 
the  blessing  of  God  accompanying  the  work,  without  which  every- 
thing would  have  been  done  in  vain.  "  I  will  go  before  thee  and 
make  the  crooked  places  straight ;  I  will  break  in  pieces  the  gates 
of  brass,  and  cut  in  sunder  the  bars  of  iron ;  and  I  will  give  thee 
the  treasures  of  darkness." 

The  last  order  which  David  Livingstone  gave  to  his  followers 
was  only  to  say  "  Good  Morning "  as  they  approached  the  hut 
where  he  lay  dying.  Lord  Houghton  interpreted  the  thought  of 
the  sick  missionary  at  the  time  with  the  poet's  keen  insight — 

"  He  bade  them,  as  they  passed  the  hut, 

To  give  no  warning 
Of  their  faithful  presence,  but 
1  Good  Morning. ' 


35*  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

To  him,  may  be,  through  broken  sleep, 

And  pains  abated, 
These  words  were  into  senses  deep 

Translated. 

Morning's  o'er  that  weird  Continent 

Now  dimly  breaking — 
Europe  her  sullen  self-restraint 

Forsaking." 

After  many  years  of  arduous  labour  by  our  missionaries,  we  now 
see  the  fulfilment  of  this  interpretation.  We  discern,  without 
doubt,  the  first  streaks  of  this  African  dawn.  When  it  has  come 
so  quickly,  and  with  such  promises  of  brightness,  we  cannot  but 
regret  that  the  great  and  good  man  whose  name  is  pepetuated  in 
the  Mission  did  not  live  to  see  it.  Amid  bitter  suffering  and 
deep  disappointment  he  served  this  land  of  darkness  and  wept 
over  its  evils.  He  struggled  on  bravely  through  hopes  deferred, 
and  was  cut  off  when  the  morning  light  was  near.  If  he  had  but 
lived  a  few  more  years,  he  would  have  seen  one  great  end  of  his 
labours  fulfilled  in  the  noble  work  of  this  Mission.  Perhaps  he 
had  to  learn,  like  his  Divine  Master,  the  meaning  of  self-sacrifice. 
"Except  a  corn  of  wheat  die,  it  abideth  alone;  but  if  it  die,  it 
bringeth  forth  much  fruit." 

But,  while  deeply  thankful  for  all  that  has  been  accomplished, 
let  us  remember  that  there  is  yet  many  a  darkened  spot  in  Nyasa- 
land,  with  thousands  upon  thousands  who  listen  to  the  truths  of 
Revelation  as  to  a  useless  tale,  utterly  careless  about  their  future 
state,  so  long  as  they  can  satisfy  their  gross,  sensual  appetites ; 
and  there  are  still  vast  regions  there  into  which  no  Gospel  light 
has  ever  shone,  with  thousands,  yea  millions,  belonging  to  different 
tribes,  who  are  totally  ignorant  of  the  name  of  Christ.  Outside 
Nyasaland  there  are  vaster  regions  still,  with  untold  millions  of 
people,  who  sit  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death,  unblessed 
by  a  single  ray  from  Heaven,  and  of  whom  it  may  be  truly  said, 
"No  man  careth  for  their  souls."  From  Lake  Nyasa  a  person 
may  travel  1500  miles  before  reaching  the  west  coast.  He  would 
meet,  doubtless,  with  many  strange  sights,  would  come  into 
contact  with  savage  and  peculiar  tribes,  and  would  pass  through 
the  haunts  and  homes  of  millions  of  people ;  but  he  might  reach 
the  sea-shore  without  seeing  even  one  church  spire,  or  meeting 


CONCLUSION  353 

with  a  single  man,  woman,  or  child  who  had  heard  of  a  Saviour. 
The  regions  beyond  Nyasa,  which  so  far  have  not  been  blessed 
with  the  presence  of  any  missionary,  are  almost  so  immense  as 
to  pass  our  comprehension.  It  may  be  said  with  truth  that  by 
far  the  greater  part  of  the  Dark  Continent  has  yet  to  be  overtaken 
with  even  the  first  proclamation  of  a  Saviour. 

But  Christians  must  not  be  disheartened  by  these  facts.  Let 
them  remember  the  great  and  blessed  change  that  has  taken  place 
of  late  years  in  the  attitude  of  many  towards  Foreign  Missions 
— how  the  spirit  of  people,  like  that  of  Paul,  has  been  stirred 
within  them,  and  is  being  stirred  more  and  more.  What  an 
awakening  since  those  days  of  chilling  Moderatism,  only  about  a 
century  ago,  when  the  venerable  Dr  John  Erskine  rebuked  his 
brethren  with  the  words,  "  Rax  me  that  Bible  !  "  What  a  change 
since  Carey  was  ridiculed  as  a  "  miserable  enthusiast,"  and  assured 
by  brethren  in  the  ministry  that,  unless  there  came  another 
Pentecost  with  its  gift  of  tongues,  the  attempted  evangelisation 
of  heathen  nations  was  absurd  !  What  a  significant  advancement 
of  late  years  in  the  attitude  of  some  of  our  Churches  !  A  century 
ago  they  had,  undoubtedly,  faith  and  love,  but  scarcely  a  thought 
for  the  great  black  heart  of  heathendom.  For  long  they  slept  a 
death-like  sleep,  but  they  are  at  last  awakening.  As  when  spring 
comes,  "the  winter  is  past,  the  flowers  appear  on  the  earth,  and 
the  time  of  the  singing  of  birds  has  come,"  so  there  are  proofs 
that  the  soft  breath  of  missionary  interest  is  settling  on  our 
Churches.  Let  not  Christians,  therefore,  be  discouraged  when  they 
think  of  the  vast  tracts  that  are  yet  unredeemed. 

They  must  rather  go  on  in  the  name  of  Christ  to  this  Christian 
work.  "  No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to  the  plough,  and  looking 
back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  God."  The  work  must  go  on 
extending  until  Central  Africa  is  brought  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and 
every  hill  and  valley  is  vocal  with  Christian  songs  of  praise.  The 
past  has  been  marvellous,  but  the  future  lies  in  front.  One  who 
had  seen  even  greater  wonders  than  those  achieved  by  our 
Livingstonia  Mission,  who  for  twenty-five  years  had  laboured 
zealously  for  his  Master,  who  had  preached  the  Gospel  over  a 
great  part  of  the  known  world,  who  had  planted  churches  in  Asia 
and  Europe,  who  had  been  caught  up  into  Paradise  and  heard 
unspeakable  words,  nevertheless  realised  the  magnitude  of  the  work 
still  to  be  done,  and  forgetting  the  things  which  were  behind,  he 
Z 


354  DAr BREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

reached  forward  earnestly  to  the  things  that  were  before.  Let  us 
likewise  not  be  content  with  past  achievements,  but  press  onward 
to  still  better  and  nobler  things.  All  that  has  been  done  in  our 
Livingstonia  Mission,  grand  and  marvellous  though  it  is,  is 
insignificant,  compared  with  the  immense  possibilities  and  oppor- 
tunities that  lie  before.  God  gives  us  no  less  a  promise  than  that 
given  to  Joshua,  "  Every  place  that  the  sole  of  your  foot  treads 
upon,  that  will  I  give  unto  you." 

May  we  not  pray  that  soon,  with  God's  help,  and  through  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel,  from  these  enslaved,  fear-ruled,  sin- 
polluted  regions,  there  may  arise  an  evangelised,  freed,  glorified 
country,  with  its  swarthy  races  civilised,  its  plains  cultivated,  its 
lakes  and  rivers  covered  with  ships,  and  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
everywhere  known  ?  Who  will  not  pray  for  this  end  ?  Who  will 
not  plead  for  the  day  to  come  when  every  breeze  that  blows  over 
Central  Africa  shall  waft  the  name  of  Jesus,  when  the  Gospel  shall 
be  precious  to  every  native  heart,  and  when  every  mother  from 
the  Zambesi  to  Tanganyika  shall  hush  her  babe  to  rest  with  the 
song  of  a  Saviour's  love  ?  Then,  indeed,  Central  Africa  shall  be 
redeemed.  The  Lord  shall  be  unto  her  "  an  everlasting  light,  and 
the  days  of  her  mourning  shall  be  ended."  What  a  blessed  con- 
summation that  would  be ! 

But  can  we  think  of  Foreign  Missions,  whether  in  Africa  or 
elsewhere,  without  realising  that  their  call  upon  us  is  indeed  a 
solemn  one,  and  that  each  of  us  is  to  some  extent  responsible  in 
the  matter?  We  may  differ  in  Church  connection  or  Church 
principles,  we  may  be  Presbyterians,  Congregationalists,  or 
Episcopalians,  but  we  cannot  question  our  missionary  obligations. 
No  uncertainty  can  prevail  on  that  supreme  point.  With  the  New 
Testament  as  our  teacher,  all  doubt  regarding  this  matter  is 
foreclosed  at  once.  To  deny  our  duty  to  evangelise  heathendom 
would  be  equivalent  to  denying  the  very  essentials  of  Christianity 
and  undermining  its  very  foundations.  The  early  Christian  Church 
knew  this.  It  had  no  need  for  missionary  societies :  it  regarded 
itself  in  the  light  of  one  great  missionary  organisation,  whose 
members  were  as  deeply  called  to  extend  the  Kingdom  of  Christ 
in  distant  lands  as  to  love  the  Lord  with  all  their  heart  and  their 
neighbours  as  themselves.  When  the  Churches  of  Scotland  or  any 
other  country  cease  to  regard  the  blackness  of  heathendom,  their 
very  existence  will  be  imperilled.  Napoleon  laid  it  down  as  a 


CONCLUSION  355 

military  maxim  that  the  army  which  remains  in  its  intrenchments 
will  ultimately  be  beaten.  It  is  true  likewise  of  Churches.  To 
indulge  ourselves,  to  be  content  with  our  own  comfortable  sur- 
roundings, to  sit  snugly  in  our  own  little  Zion,  while  forgetful  of  the 
great  black  mass  of  fetichism  reigning  without,  is  simply  to  invite 
defeat.  Unless  we  carry  the  banner  of  the  Cross  into  other  and 
darker  countries,  our  Christian  name  will  become  an  empty  sound, 
and  the  deep  despairing  cry  for  help  may  arise  from  our  own 
bosom. 

Let  the  reader  think  solemnly  of  it !  The  condition  of  people  in 
heathen  lands  appeals  to  us.  The  plaintive  Macedonian  cry, 
"Come  over  and  help  us,"  rings  as  loudly  to-day  as  it  did 
nearly  nineteen  centuries  ago.  It  is  a  cry  coming  from  the 
needs  of  millions  starving  for  the  bread  of  life,  and  is  literally 
incessant  through  winter's  cold  and  summer's  heat,  from  India, 
China,  Africa,  and  the  islands  of  the  sea.  If  we  had  but  ears  to 
listen  to  its  sad  music,  we  would  hear  it  day  and  night,  borne  to  us 
on  every  wind.  Think  of  it !  Christ  came  nineteen  centuries  ago 
as  the  light  of  the  world,  and  yet  millions,  who  have  the  same  life 
and  death  before  them  as  we,  and  the  same  great  eternity,  are  still 
in  darkness  as  to  a  Saviour.  They  are  being  borne  down  by  evils 
which  are  too  great  to  name,  and  by  woes  whose  magnitude  none 
of  us  can  ever  understand ;  they  have  empty,  aching,  unsatisfied 
hearts,  and  are  stricken  with  sin  and  sorrow ;  and  their  existence 
is  wrapped  in  a  black  and  terrible  pall,  relieved  only  by  occasional 
lightnings  that  shoot  from  beyond.  Their  condition  of  misery 
appeals  silently  to  the  loving  help  of  Christian  hearts  at  home. 
Can  we  allow  them  to  live  and  die  without  a  revelation  from 
Heaven,  when  we  have  it  in  our  possession  ? 

We  have  opportunities,  possibilities,  and  powers  which  no 
preceding  generation  ever  had.  The  early  Christians,  at  their 
outset,  numbered  but  "five  hundred  brethren."  We  are  counted 
by  millions,  citizens  of  a  mighty  nation,  having  the  powerful 
help  of  the  press,  and  able  to  scatter  the  Bible  in  almost  all  the 
languages  of  the  earth.  We  have  remarkable  helps  which  were 
altogether  unknown  before.  Countries,  thickly  populated,  that 
were  once  closed  against  strangers  have  now  been  thrown  wide 
open ;  large  districts,  once  thought  to  be  desolate  tracts  of  sand, 
have  now  been  found  to  teem  with  human  beings ;  and  distances 
have  now  been  shortened  to  such  an  extent  that  the  natives  of 


356  DAYBREAK  IN  LIVINGSTON  I  A 

far-off  regions  may  be  considered  as  our  neighbours.  Almost 
all  the  peoples  and  tribes  of  the  world,  even  the  most  uncivilised 
and  unenlightened  of  them,  are  now  accessible  and  willing  to 
hear  of  a  Saviour.  During  the  gradual  advancement  of  past 
ages,  God,  who  can  make  the  winds  His  messengers,  has  been 
getting  all  things  ready  through  the  discoveries  of  science,  the 
expansion  of  commercial  enterprise,  the  wonders  of  the  printing 
press,  and  the  paramount  influence  of  Christian  nations.  He 
has  been  preparing  His  plan  of  campaign,  huge,  magnificent, 
and  marvellous.  And  now  it  is  reaching  its  consummation,  and 
we  stand  in  the  midst  of  unlimited  opportunities.  "  Lift  up 
your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields." 

In  such  a  crisis  of  the  world's  history,  and  with  such  a  burden 
of  responsibility,  what  should  Christian  Scotland  not  do?  And, 
if  it  were  to  rise  up  in  its  might,  what  could  it  not  do?  If  the 
Christian  people  of  all  countries  were  to  begin  in  earnest  to  this 
divine  work  the  stone  cut  out  without  hands  would  soon  become 
a  great  mountain,  filling  the  whole  earth.  The  grain  of  mustard 
seed  would  become  a  great  tree,  amid  the  branches  of  which  the 
fowls  of  the  air  would  find  shelter.  The  prayer  which  we  now 
offer  up,  "  Hallowed  be  Thy  name  !  Thy  kingdom  come  !  "  would 
no  longer  be  possible,  for  God's  name  would  be  hallowed  every- 
where by  the  multitudinous  tribes  of  the  earth,  and  His  kingdom 
be  already  come.  The  existing  day  of  small  things  would  give 
place  to  a  millennium  of  peace  and  triumph  and  an  eternity  of 
glory.  May  that  grand  result  be  hastened  ! 


APPENDIX 


LIVINGSTONIA  MISSIONARIES 
PAST  AND  PRESENT 
Deceased  are  in  Italics 
An  asterisk  marks  present  missionaries 


Appointed. 

Missionaries. 

Remarks. 

1875 

, 

*Rev.  Robert  Laws,  M.  A.,  M.D.,D.D., 

Livingstonia. 

F.R.G.S.,    and    Hon.    F.R.S.G.S. 

(Mrs  Laws) 

1875 

2 

E,  D.  Young,  R.N.     . 

Led     first      expedition. 

Died  1896. 

I87S 

3 

George  Johnston,  Carpenter 

Resigned  and  graduated 

M.B.,  C.M. 

1875 

4 

John  M'Fadyen,  Engineer  . 

Resigned.     Now   M.B., 
C.M. 

1875 
1875 

5 

6 

Allan  Simpson,  Blacksmith  . 
Alexander  Riddell,  Agriculturist  . 

Joined  A.  L.  Co.,  1882. 
Resigned  1879.  Minister 

in  Australia. 

I875 

7 

William  Baker,  Seaman 

Returned    1877.     Royal 

Navy  Reserve. 

1875 

8 

Rev.  William  Black,  M.B.,  C.M. 

Died,  1877. 

1875 

9 

Thomas  Crooks,  Seaman 

Recalled. 

1875 
1876 
1876 

10 

ii 

12 

John  Gunn,  Agriculturist 
Robert  S.  Ross,  Engineer     . 
Archibald  C.  Miller,  Weaver 

Died,  1880. 
Resigned,  1883. 
Died,  Zambezi. 

I876 

*3 

James    Stewart,    M.D.,    D.D.,    Hon. 

Returned   to    Lovedale, 

F.R.G.S.,  and  F.R.S.G.S. 

1878. 

357 

358 


APPENDIX 


Appointed. 

Missionaries. 

Remarks. 

1876 

14 

William  Koyi,                     \ 

Died,  1886. 

1876 

Shadrach  Ngunana,              1  Kafirs 

Died,  1877. 

1876 

16 

A.  Mapas  Ntintili,               }-from 

Invalided,  1880.     Died, 

Lovedale 

1897. 

1876 

17 

Isaac  Williams  WauchopeJ 

Invalided,    1877.     Now 

ordained  pastor. 

1877 

18 

James  Stewart,  C.  E.  ,  F.  R.  G.  S. 

Died,  1883. 

I878 

19 

George  Benzie,  Master  of  Ilala 

Died,  1880. 

1878 

20 

Robert  Reid,  Carpenter 

Invalided,  1881. 

1878 

21 

J.  A.  Paterson,  Engineer     . 

Resigned,  1881. 

1878 

22 

William  B.  Reid,  Seaman    . 

Resigned,  1881. 

1879 

23 

Miss  Waterston,  M.D. 

Resigned,    1880.     Now 

in  Cape  Town. 

1880 

24 

James  Sutherland,  Agriculturist 

Died,  1885. 

1880 

25 

George  Fairley,  Master  of  Ilala 

Invalided,  1882. 

I88o 

26 

William  Harkess,  Engineer  of  Ilala 

Joined  A.  L.  Co.,  1882. 

1881 

27 

R.  Gowans,  Master  of  Ilala  . 

Died,  1883. 

1881 

28 

John  A.  Smith,  Teacher 

Blantyre  Mission. 

1881 

29 

*Peter     M'Callum,     Carpenter    (Mrs 

Bandawe'. 

M'Callum) 

1881 

30 

Rev.  Robert  Hannington,  M.B.,  C.M. 

Invalided,     1882.     Now 

in  Constantinople. 

1881 

31 

Donald  Munro,  Builder 

Invalided,  1885. 

1882 

32 

George  Williams  (Kafir  from  Lovedale) 

Resigned,  1888. 

1883 

33 

Rev.  /.  Alexander  Bain,  M.A.    . 

Died,  1889. 

1883 

34 

William  Scott,  M.B.,  C.M. 

Invalided,  1886. 

1884 

William  O.  M'Ewen,  C.E. 

Died,  1885. 

1884 

36 

*Rev.  Walter  A.  Elmslie,  M.B.,  C.M., 

Ekwendeni,  Ngoniland. 

F.R.G.S.  (Mrs  Elmslie) 

1885 

37 

Rev.  D.  Kerr  Cross,  M.B.,  C.M.  (Mrs 

Resigned,   1896.      Now 

Kerr  Cross) 

in  the  Administration 

Service. 

Mrs  Kerr  Cross  (the  first)    . 

Died,  1886. 

1885 

38 

George  A.  Rollo,  Teacher     . 

Died,  Dec.  1885. 

1886 

39 

Hugh  Macintosh,  Carpenter          . 

Died,  Jan.  1887. 

1886 

40 

Maurice  M^Intyre,  Teacher          . 

Died,  1890. 

1886 

John  B.  M  'Currie,  Teacher  .         . 

Resigned,  1887. 

1886 

42 

Robert  Gossip,  Bookkeeper 

Invalided.     Now  under 

A.  L.  Co.,  Glasgow. 

1887 

43 

Rev.  George  Henry,  M.A.,  M.B.,  C.M. 

Died,  1893. 

Mrs  Henry  ...... 

Died,  1892. 

1887 

44 

Charles  Stuart,  Teacher 

Invalided,  1900. 

1888 

45 

•William  M'Kay  Murray,  Carpenter    . 

Livingstonia. 

1889 

46 

•William     Thomson,      Printer     (Mrs 

Livingstonia. 

Thomson) 

1890 

47 

Rev.  George  Steele,  M.B.,  C.M.   . 

Died,  1895. 

1890 

48 

James  H.  Ait  ken,  Teacher   . 

Died,  1894. 

1890 

49 

George  Aitken  (Mrs  Ait  ken) 

Invalided,  1898. 

1890 

50 

Rev.  D.  Fotheringham,  M.B.,  C.M.    . 

Resigned,  1893. 

APPENDIX 


359 


Appointed. 

Missionaries. 

Remarks. 

I89I 

51 

W.  Govan  Robertson,  Teacher     . 

Resigned,   1896.      Now 

of  L.  M.  Society. 

1891 

52 

Archibald  C.  Scott,  Teacher 

Resigned,    1896.      Port 
Elizabeth. 

I89I 

S3 

Donald  Macgregor,  Agriculturist  . 

Invalided,  1894. 

1891 

54 

W.  Morrison        

Recalled. 

I892 

55 

*W.  Duff  Macgregor,  Carpenter  (Mrs 

Livingstonia. 

Macgregor) 

I892 

56 

Roderick  Macdonald,  Carpenter  . 

Invalided,  1894. 

1892 

*Rev.  A.  G.  M'Alpine  (Mrs  M'Alpine) 

Bandawe1. 

1893 

eg 

*R.  D.  M'Minn,  Printer      . 

Livingstonia. 

1893 

59 

*Rev.    Alex.    Dewar,    F.R.G.S.    (Mrs 

Karonga. 

Dewar) 

I894 

60 

*Miss  Lizzie  A.  Stewart,  Teacher 

Livingstonia. 

I894 
1894 

61 
62 

*Malcolm  Moffat,  Agriculturist    . 
Hugh  Steven,  Carpenter 

Livingstonia. 
Died,  1895. 

1894 

63 

*Rev.  George  Prentice,  L.R.C.S.  and 

Kasungu,  Mwasi's. 

P.  Ed. 

1895 

64 

*Rev.   James   Henderson,   M.A.   (Mrs 

Livingstonia. 

Henderson) 

1896 

65 

*Walter  J.  Henderson,  Builder    . 

Livingstonia. 

1896 

66 

*Rev.  Donald  Fraser  .... 

Ngoniland. 

1896 

67 

Rev.  J.  C.  Ramsay,  L.R.C.S.  and  P.Ed. 

Invalided,  1898. 

1896 

68 

*John  M.  Henderson,  Teacher     . 

Karonga. 

1897 

69 

*Miss  Margaret  M'Callum,  Nurse 

To  be  married,  1900. 

1897 

7° 

*Miss  Maria  Jackson,  Nurse 

To  be  married,  1900. 

1897 

7i 

A.    W.   Roby-  Fletcher,    B.Sc.,    M.B., 

Died,  1898. 

C.M. 

1898 

72 

Robert  Scott,  M.B.,  C.M.   . 

Resigned,  1900. 

1899 
1899 

73 

74 

*John  Macgregor,  Carpenter 
*Frank  A.  Innes,  M.A.,  M.B.,  Ch.B. 

Livingstonia. 
Karonga. 

1900 

75 

*Miss  M.  J.  Fleming,  Nurse 

Livingstonia. 

1900 

76 

*Miss  J.  Martin,  Nurse  (honorary) 

Livingstonia. 

1900 

77 

*James    A.    Chisholm,    Medical    (Mrs 

Mwenzo. 

Chisholm) 

I9OO 

78 

*William  Sutherland,  Builder 

Livingstonia. 

1900 

79 

*James  Gauld,  Builder         .         . 

Livingstonia. 

I9OO 

80 

*Ernest  A.  Boxer,  Medical  . 

Bandaw£. 

INDEX 


ABERDEEN,  public  meeting,  34. 

Lord,  297. 

Achewa,  tribe,  178. 

Act,  Brussels,  209,  221,  222,  240. 

Berlin,  203,  222,  270,  289,  290. 

Administration,  the  British,  and  Sclater 
Road,  126  ;  introduction  of  money, 
127 ;  drink  traffic,  222 ;  Muavi, 
256;  mission  printing,  319;  due  to 
missionaries,  21 1. 

civil,  65,  101  et  seq.,  170. 

Africa,  British  Central,  formation  of, 
208,  225,  246,  302,  280,  305,  339  ; 
future  of,  336,  353  ;  Highlands,  284. 


scramble  for,  289. 


African  Association,  15. 

African,  educated,  337. 

Agriculture,  123;  at  Institution,  341, 
347- 

native,  75,  124. 

Aitken,  James  H.,  183  et  sea.;  death 
of,  184. 

Amonjere,  165. 

Ancestor  worship,  260. 

Anderson,  Sir  Percy,  203,  305. 

Anglo-German  Treaty,  174,  305. 

Anglo-Portuguese  Treaty,  304. 

Angoche,  193. 

Animals,  wild,  64,  187,  285. 

Ansgarius,  the,  87. 

Arabs,  the,  exploration,  15  ;  opposi- 
tion to  Mission,  59>  64 ;  their  slave- 
trade,  17,  27,  52,  177,  190  et  seq.; 
the  Ilala,  63  ;  their  influence,  89  ; 
threaten  Ngoniland,  160,  204  ;  rising 
of,  204;  war,  172,  271  et  seq.;  their 
commerce,  213;  rescued  by  Mission, 
245. 

Arms,  trade  in,  prohibited,  209. 

Assembly,  General,  25,  26,  31,  304. 

Atmospheric  records,  40,  in. 

Aurora,  the,  320. 

Awakening  at  Bandawe,  311. 


BAIN,  J.  ALEXANDER,  171  et  seq.; 
death,  173,  280 ;  prevents  slavery, 
206  ;  visits  Buntali,  248  ;  besieged  at 
Karonga,  272  et  seq.  ;  philological 
labours,  329. 

Baker,  William,  37,  51. 

Balfour,  Lord,  of  Burleigh,  297. 

Balfour,  Prof.  Bayley,  341. 

Bandawe,  chosen,  140 ;  removal  to, 
141  ;  description  of,  143  ;  threatened 
byNgoni,  154,  267,  268;  extension 
from,  144,  169  ;  rain  question,  259  ; 
evangelistic  work,  307  ;  awakening, 
311 ;  office-bearers,  312;  new  church, 
312 ;  industrial  work,  318 ;  work 
among  women,  331. 

Bangweolo,  Lake,  23. 

Bantu,  race,  71. 

Basket- making,  75. 

Bay,  Deep,  209,  285,  340. 

Floi 


Florence,  340,  341 


Beasts,  wild,  64,  187,  285. 
Beer,  native,  222. 
Begging,  by  chiefs,  155,  187. 
Benzie,  Captain,  135. 
Berlin  Conference,  203,  222,  270,  289, 
290. 

Missionary  Society,  98,  319. 


Bible,  native  superstitions,  258. 

in  schools,  121,  315. 

common  Nyanja,  328. 


Binnie,  Thomas,  283. 
Bisa,  tribe,  193,  196. 
Bishop  Smithies,  297,  337. 
of  Likoma,  327. 


Black,  Dr,  84,  119,  135,  198. 
Blackwater  fever,  41,  47,  282,  287. 
Blair,  Mr,  175. 
Blantyre  Mission  Station,    its  choice, 

66  ;  first  staff,  85,  88  ;  early  failure, 

95  ;  rescued  by  Free  Church,  95-77  ; 

thefts    from,     102  ;    road   to,    126 ; 

healthiness,  138. 

361 


INDEX 


Blantyre,  town,  threatened  by  Portu- 
guese, 303. 

Blythswood,  24,  537,  339. 

Boarders,  316. 

Bombay,  25,  26. 

Books,  desire  for,  317. 

Brass  work,  native,  75. 

Brickmaking,  318. 

Britain,  African  possessions,  289 ; 
claim  to  Nyasaland,  289  et  seq. 

Bruce,  James,  15. 

Brussels  Conference,  209,  221,  222, 
240. 

Buchanan,  John,  85,  221,  275,  295,  297. 

Building,  318. 

Buntali,  tribe,  229,  248. 

Burial  of  chiefs,  256. 

Bushman,  race,  71. 

CALICO,  currency,  61,  126 ;  manufac- 
ture, 75  ;  native  desire  for,  102,  213. 

Cameron,  Captain,  195. 

Canares,  293. 

Cape  Maclear.     See  Maclear. 

Cape  Town,  public  meeting,  41,  91. 

Carey,  William,  335,  353. 

Cardoso,  Lieut.,  299,  304, 

Carriers,  massacre  of,  230,  248. 

Cataracts,  Murchison,  27,  48,  50,  87, 
126,  236. 

Catholicism,  Roman,  293,  303. 

Cattle,  native,  76. 

Chaka,  46,  181. 

Charms,  252. 

Charter,  Royal,  application  for,  224. 

Chibisa's,  21,  50. 

Chiefs,  hostile,  59,  265,  266. 

burial  of,  256. 

war  on  death  of,  162,  257. 

slaves  buried  with,  78,  256. 

treaties  with,  303. 

Chifisi,  chief,  185. 

Chigo,  chief,  244. 

Chikanamalira,  chief,  187. 

Chikuru,  244. 

Chikusi,  chief,  99,  139,  \7<)etseq.,  185, 
239,  247,  254,  281. 

Children,  native,  72 ;  daily  life  of,  120. 

Chimlolo,  99,  227. 

Chimwara,  294. 

Chinde,  67,  87;  discovery  of  mouth, 
3°i> 

Chintechi,  161,  245. 


Chipatula,    139,   149,    150,    151,   155; 

shot,  269. 
Chirenji,  170. 
Chirnpusa,  175. 
Chiromo,  46,  126,  302. 
Chitesi,  59,  108,  197,  202. 
Chiwere,  139,  176. 
Chiwinda,  230. 
Chloroform,  130,  323. 
Chombe,  Mount,  340. 
Church,  Free,  21,  26,  28,  30,  209. 

U.P.,  35- 

R.P.,  30,  34,  35. 

Dutch,  41,  173,  176,  184. 

Established,  co-operation  with, 


35.  66>  97  J  its  first  expedition,  67, 
85,  88 ;  Blantyre,  95  ;  assisted  by 
F.C.,  95- 

first  Livingstonia,  1 14. 

new,  at  Bandawe,  312. 

native  self-supporting,  337. 

Romish,  293,  303. 


Church  Missionary  Society,  54. 
Churches,  missionary  revival  in,  353. 

native,  313. 

Scotch,  efforts  to  claim  Nyasa- 


land, 291,  297,  300. 
Circumnavigation  of  Lake,  first,  105  ; 

second,  107. 
Civilization,  past  native,  74  ;  present, 

321.     See  Industry,  Commerce. 
Civil  Jurisdiction,  65,  IOI,  170. 
Clarendon,  Earl  of,  295. 
Class,  Preachers',  309,  344. 
Clothes,  native,  74  ;  of  Ngoni,  147. 
Coal,  75. 

Coast,  communication  with,  217,  268. 
Coffee,  75,  85  ;  introduced,  220. 
Coinage,  English,  126. 
Collection,  native,  167. 
Commerce,     Christian,     213 ;     James 

Stevenson's     efforts,     215 ;      Lakes 

Company  formed,   215.     See  Lakes 

Company. 

Africans  and,  218. 


Commissioner,  British,  49,  65,  103, 
319  ;  appointed,  208,  225  ;  on 
missionary  work,  132  ;  on  philology 
of  missionaries,  329. 

Committee,  Dr  Stewart's  African,  20. 
Livingstonia  Sub.,  351. 


Communication,  interrupted,  268,  269. 
Communion  season,  in  Ngoniland,  166. 


INDEX 


363 


Company,  Lakes.     See  Lakes. 

Trading,  215. 

B.  S.  Africa,  its  postal  service, 

67  ;  anti-slavery,  188,  210 ;  receives 

Charter,   225,  302  ;   grants  land  to 

Mission,  225,  341. 
Conference,  Berlin,  203,  222,  270,  289, 

290. 

Brussels,  209,  221,  222,  240. 

Westminster,  297. 

Manchester,  297. 

Congo  Treaty,  291,  294. 

Free  State,  203. 

Consul,    Nyasa,    103,   203,   265,  266, 

270. 

Consulate,  British,  296. 
Convention,  Anglo- Portuguese,  304. 
Convert,  first,  117;  second,  308;  first 

Ngoni,  162  ;  first  women,  332. 
Converts,  consistency  of,  334. 
Co-operation,  missionary,  34,  36,  97. 
Cotterill,  H.  B.,  85,  88,  106,  107,  215, 

220. 

Council,  Mission,  313. 
Coutinho,  Lieut.,  302. 
Cowan,  Sir  John,  30,  86. 
Crocodiles,  46,  265. 
Cross,  Dr  Kerr,  171  et  seq.,  274  etseq., 

276. 

Cross,  Mrs,  171. 
Cunningham,  James,  20. 

Professor,  21. 

Currency,  native,  6l,  126. 
Cust,  Dr,  297. 

DANCES,  NATIVE,  81,  312. 

Dangers.     See  Perils. 

Darwin,  Charles,  336. 

Deacons,  first,  ordained,  312. 

Death  of  missionaries,  1 34  et  seq. ,  282, 

287. 

Deep  Bay,  209,  285,  340. 
Deportation,  103. 
Deputations  to   Foreign    Office,   289, 

301. 

Derby,  Lord,  289. 
Dewar,   Alexander,   184,   186  et  seq., 

281,  284. 
Dispensary,  322. 
Doctors,  native,  260. 
Douglas,  Principal,  84. 
Dress,  native,  74 ;  of  Ngoni,  147. 
Drink,  native,  222. 


Drink,  strong,  52,  177,  178,  221,  209, 
221. 

Drummond,   Professor,  59,   141,   171, 

23Ij    3OQ       3^4. 

Duff,  Dr,  25,  28,  30,  33,  36,  40,  85,  91. 

Duncan,  Jonathan,  221. 

Dundee,  public  meeting,  34. 

Dunlop,  Murray,  21. 

Dutch  Church,  41,  173,  176,  184. 

Dynamo,  at  Institution,  347. 

EDUCATIONAL  WORK,  112,  314;  ne- 
cessity of,  118;  first  school,  119; 
daily  life  of  children,  120;  early 
teaching,  121  ;  religious,  12 1,  315  ; 
difficulties,  121,  314;  value  of,  121, 
314,  317 ;  adults,  315  ;  boarders, 
316 ;  book-fever,  317 ;  advanced, 
338,  339 »  at  Institution,  343. 

Ekwendeni,    161,  165,  166,  313,  317, 

Elders,  first,  ordained,  312. 

Electricity,  at  Institution,  347. 

Elmslie,  Dr,  57,  204,  283,  313,  332, 
340;  his  work,  156  et  seq.,  260, 
325 ;  in  peril,  268 ;  attacked  by 
lion,  285  ;  philological  labours,  329. 

Elmslie,  Mrs,  331. 

Elton,  Consul,  106,  107,  125, 138,  197. 

English  language  in  Nyasaland,  339. 

Erskine,  Dr  John,  353. 

Established  Church.     See  Church. 

European  missionaries,  337. 

Evangelistic  Work,  68,  101,  112; 
difficulties,  113;  instances  of,  114; 
apparent  failure,  115  ;  first-fruits, 
117;  later,  307;  second  convert, 
308  ;  native  evangelists,  309  ;  tours, 
310;  great  awakening,  311;  at  In- 
stitution, 344. 

Evangelists,  native,  309,  337,  343,  344. 

Kafir,  86,  100,  148,  155,  330. 

Evils,  Africa's,  251  et  seq. 

Expedition,  first,  40 ;  second,  84. 

Exploration,  by  Livingstone,  15  et  sea., 
295  ;  by  early  missionaries,  105  ;  by 
Dr  Stewart,  no;  by  Dr  Laws  and 
James  Stewart,  1 39 ;  by  Portuguese, 
293  ;  benefits  to  mission,  no. 

Extension  of  Mission,  144,  169,  189. 

Eyre,  C.  B.,  327. 

FAIRLIE,  CAPTAIN,  230. 


364 


INDEX 


Falls,  Murchison,  27,  48,  50,  87,  126, 

236. 

Manchewe,  340  ;  Kazichi,  340. 

Family  life  of  natives,  72. 

Famine,  284. 

Ferguson,  Sir  James,  298. 

Fever,  African,  41,  47,  282,  287. 

Fife,  1 86,  1 88,  282. 

Fire-arms,  trade  prohibited,  209. 

Fishing,  native,  75. 

Flies,  "Kungu,"  106. 

Tsets^,  137. 

Florence  Bay,  340,  341. 
Food  of  missionaries,  284. 

at  Institution,  342,  346. 

Foote,  Consul,  103,  203,  269. 
Foreign  Office,  20,  103,  197,  200,  202, 

243,  266,  280,  289. 
Foreign  Missions,  opponents  of,  335  ; 

our  responsibility,  354. 
Fortitude,  native,  129. 
Forts,  Nyasa,  210. 
Fotheringham,  L.  Monteith.  172,  223, 

272  et  seq.,  280,  305. 
Fraser,  Donald,  166,  317,  344. 
Free  Church,  21,  26,  28,  30,  209. 
Frere,  Sir  Bartle,  25,  85,  193. 

GERMANY,  and  N.  Nyasa,  304  ;  treaty 
with,  174,  305;  slave  trade,  210; 
drink,  222. 

Girls,  work  among,  330,  343,  345. 

Glasgow,  merchants,  33,  34  ;  Com- 
merce, 215. 

Glasgow  Missionary  Society,  19. 

Gold,  75,  220,  294. 

Gomani,  185,  281. 

Good  News,  202,  232. 

Goodwill  of  missionaries,  247. 

Goold,  Dr,  30,  40. 

Gori,  190. 

Government,  British,  and  Arab  war, 
277,280;  appealed  to  re  Portuguese, 
289,  291,  296,  297  ;  re  Germany, 
305  ;  assurances  from,  297,  298  ; 
action  re  Portuguese,  299  et  seq. ;  re 
Germany,  305. 

Gowa,  183. 

Granville,  Earl,  201,  203. 

Graves,  at  Cape  Maclear,  136 ;  at 
Bandawe,  174. 

Greenwood,  Dr,  297. 

Gunboats,  210. 


Gunn,  John,  84,   120,   135,  139,   199, 

255,  330. 
Gwangwara,  57,  209. 

HANNINGTON,  DR,  149. 

Harkess,  William,  223. 

Harrowby,  Earl  of,  278. 

Henderson,   Henry,    36,   37,   51,    66, 

95- 

James,  342,  344,  345. 

Henga,  the,  328. 

Henry,  Dr,  181  et  seq  ;  prevents  wars, 

246 ;    prevents    Muavi,    254,    256 ; 

accident    on    river,    265  ;     medical 

work,  324;  philology,  329. 
Mrs,    death    of,    183;     work 

among  women,  331. 
Herga,  the,  86,  107,  220. 
Highlands,  Central  African,  284 ;  Shire, 

21,  46,  67,  300. 
Hine,  Dr,  327. 
Hippopotami,  46,  264,  265. 
Hora,  164. 

Hore,  Captain,  202,  229,  232,  235. 
Hospitals,  325,  346,  347. 
Houghton,  Lord,  351. 
Houses,  missionary,  61,  283,  346. 

native,  71,  72,  123,  318. 

Howie,  Rev.  Dr,  26,  30. 

IBO,  193. 

Ikombwe,  Mount,  252. 

Ilala,  the,  38,  43,  46,  50,  52,  53,  63, 
66,  89,  95,  105,  109,  141,  197,  220, 
227,  269,  274. 

—  (place),  23. 

Indifference,  152. 

Industrial  work,  1 12  et  seq.,  318  et  seq. ; 
its  usefulness,  122  ;  necessity,  123 ; 
nature,  123,  318;  agriculture,  123; 
road  making,  125 ;  wages,  126 ; 
brickmaking,  318;  building,  318; 
printing,  319;  enormous  change  re- 
sulting, 320  ;  among  women,  330 ; 
at  Institution,  343. 

Industries,  native,  75. 

Initiation  ceremonies,  81. 

Institution.     See  Livingstonia. 

Instruments,  meteorological,  341. 

lona,  101. 

Iron-work,  native,  75. 

Itineracy,  171,  310,  324. 

Ivory,  217. 


INDEX 


365 


JACKSON,  Miss,  333. 
James  Stevenson,  the,  seized,  292. 
Johnson,  W.  P.,  202,  275,  327. 
Johnston,  Fort,  58. 

George,  37,  44,  51,  106. 

Sir  H.    H.,  his   book,    106 ; 

appointed,  208,  280,  302  ;  at  Lisbon, 

299  ;   on  the  Mission,  243 ;   on  Dr 

Laws,  320. 
Journeys,  missionary,    171,    310,    324. 

See  Exploration. 
Jumbe,  108,   153,  197,  201,  202,  245, 

280. 
Jurisdiction,  civil,  65,  101,  170. 

KAFIR  MISSIONARIES,  86,   100,   148, 

155,  330. 
Kanmg  ma,  140. 
Kararamuka,  173,  176,  206,  305. 
Karonga,  163,  279  ;  siege  of,  172,  205, 

223,   272,   298 ;    centre   of  Mission 

work,   175  ;  Fotheringham  at,  223  ; 

Stevenson  Road,  229,  231. 
Kasungu,  188. 
Katunga,  126,  303. 
Kawa,  282. 
Kazembe,  294. 
Kazichi  Falls,  340. 
Kerosene  oil,  347. 
Kerr,  Montagu,  142. 
Kibwezi,  341. 
Kilimane,   16,  67,   87,    90,    182,   193, 

196,  221,  236,  270,  300. 
Kilwa,  196,  278. 
King,  Sir  James,  301. 
Kirk  Mountains,  181. 
Kirk,  Sir  John,  58,  196,  197,  295. 
Kirk-Session,  first,  312. 
Kisanga,  201. 
Konde,  the,   56,    76,    175,    223,    271 

et  seq. 

country,  304. 

— — — —  language,  308. 

Kondowe,  340. 

Kongone*  mouth,  42. 

Kongwe,  178. 

Kopa-Kopa,  271,  277. 

Kota-Kota,  108,  no,  197,  202. 

Koyi,  William,  57,  86,   100,  120,  139, 

148  et  seq.,  159,  168,  241,  267. 

Mrs,  155. 

"  Kungu  "  flies,  106. 
Kwakwa,  87,  182,  264,  301. 


LABOUR,  native  objection  to,  125,  318. 

Lacerda,  Dr,  294. 

Lakes  Company,  African,  postal  ser- 
vice, 67  ;  encourages  money,  127  ; 
its  missionary  work,  175,  163  ;  Fife, 
186;  Arab  war,  205,  271,  298; 
anti-slavery,  210,  217;  its  origin, 
215,  292;  development  of,  219;  its 
benefits,  217  et  seq.  ;  its  defects,  218  ; 
steamers,  220,  269 ;  peaceful  char- 
acter, 220;  against  drink,  220; 
Christian  agents,  222 ;  agreement 
with  Chartered  Co.,  224  ;  threatened 
by  natives,  269,  270 ;  upholds  claim 
to  Nyasaland,  291  et  seq. 

Languages,  Bantu,  131,  178,  179,  132, 
327,  342. 

Language,  English,  in  Nyasaland,  339. 

Lavigerie,  Cardinal,  303. 

Laws,  Dr,  from  U.P.  Church,  35; 
first  expedition,  37,  40  ;  assists  Blan- 
tyre  Mission,  95,  96 ;  his  character, 
104 ;  first  circumnavigation  of  Lake, 
106 ;  second,  107,  197  ;  explores 
with  James  Stewart,  no,  139,  177, 
179;  detained  as  hostage,  in  ;  in- 
troduces money,  126;  his  medical 
work,  129 ;  his  translations,  etc., 
131,  328 ;  removes  to  Bandawe", 
141  ;  plans  extension,  144,  176 ; 
visits  Ngoniland,  148-150,  153,  160; 
protects  Tonga,  154,  156 ;  visits 
Chikusi  again,  181 ;  on  slave  rescue, 
63,  199.  202 ;  at  Berlin  Conference, 
203,  222;  on  commerce,  214;  on 
James  Stewart,  232  ;  prevents  Ngoni 
and  other  wars,  242,  244,  267,  268  ; 
on  consular  protection,  266  ;  danger- 
ously ill,  280,  282  ;  attacked  by  lion, 
285  ;  upholds  claim  to  Nyasaland, 
291 ;  begins  native  preachers'  class, 
309  ;  on  Ngoniland  awakening,  313  ; 
his  marvellous  work,  320  ;  kindness 
to  other  missions,  327  ;  on  work 
among  women,  332 ;  urges  Institu- 
tion, 337  ;  founds  Livingstonia,  339 
et  seq. 

Laws,  Mrs,  120,  331. 

Laziness,  native,  125,  318. 

Leopards,  187,  285. 

Leopold,  King,  203. 

Leprosy,  323. 

Letters,  67. 


366 


INDEX 


Liambiro,  271. 

Life,  native,  72  ;  family,  72  ;  moral,  80. 

Light,  electric,  347. 

Likoma,   discovery    of,    106 ;    bishop 

of,  327. 

Lindsay,  Professor,  297,  327. 
Lingua  franca,  342, 
Lions,  46,  65,  187,  285. 
Liquor,  intoxicating,  52,  177,  178,  209, 

221. 

Lisbon,  299. 

Literary  work  of  missionaries,  131,  327. 

Livingstone,  Dr,  I  ctseq.,  38,  41, 44,  47, 
49,  52,  58,  64,  66,  84,  98,  103,  105, 
19°.  I95>  etc.,  etc.  ;  on  Free  Church, 
21,  26. 

Mrs,  21,  44. 

Miss,  84. 

Mountains,  56,  106,  345. 

Livingstonia  (the  name),  25,  26,  33,  34, 
143,  188. 

(the  Mission),  principal  object, 

40;  treatment  of  natives,  6 1  ;  its 
modes  of  operation,  1 1 2,  307;  re- 
moval to  Bandawe,  137 ;  extension 
of,  144,  169,  189 ;  its  peaceful  char- 
acter, 238,  267  ;  opposition  to  evils, 
251,  313;  prevents  Muavi,  255; 
prevents  polygamy,  262  ;  its  perils, 
264 ;  attacked  by  Arabs,  272  ; 
success,  349. 

(the  Institution),  188,  285,  320, 


333.  337  et  seq. 
Committee,  351. 


Trading  Company,  215. 


Livlezi  Station,  179,  184,  246,  281. 
London   Missionary   Society,   54,  98, 

100,  202,  226,  228,  232,  235,  319. 
Losewa,  108,  197. 
Losses,  missionaries',  44,  265. 
Lovedale,  22,  24,  31,  36,  86,  132,  148, 

319,  33i»  339- 
Evangelists,  86,  100,  148,  155, 

330. 

Lufira  River,  174. 
Lugard,  Captain,  59,  276,  326. 
Lunacy,  323. 
Luonde,  chief,  269. 

MACGILL,  DR,  35. 
Machila,  184- 

Machinery,  at  Institution,  347. 
Machinjiri,  war,  269. 


Macklin,  Dr,  85,  95,  96. 

Maclear,    Cape,    53,   58,   59,   87 ;    its 

disadvantages,  137. 
(the  Station),  61,  90,  92,  93, 

101,  141,  195,  200,  214,  330. 
MacAlpine,  A.  G.,  310,  311,  312. 
MacCallum,  Peter,  161,  188,  323. 
Miss,  33 


Macdonald,  Duff,  97. 
MacEwen,  W.  O.,  233  et  seq. 
Macfadyen,  John,  37,  44,  51. 
Macfie,  R.  A.,  21. 
Macintosh,  Hugh,  171. 
Maclntyre,  Maurice,  181,  182. 
Mackay,  Alexander,  38,  54,  338. 
Mr,  of  Blantyre,  107,  136. 


Mackenzie,  Bishop,  27,  46,  50. 

Mackinnon,  Peter,  33. 

Sir  William,  30,  33,  39,  216, 

224. 

MacMinn,  R.  D.,  329. 
Macrae,  Dr,  35,  36,  86. 
Magomero,  46. 
Mahalule,  150. 
Mails,  early,  67. 
Makanjira,  60,  138,  153,  197,  201,  246, 

275- 
Makololo,  the,  47,  71,  88,  241,  268, 

270,  302. 

Malaria,  41,  47,  282,  287. 
Malet,  Sir  Edward,  203. 
Malindu,  173. 

Maliwandu.     See  Mweniwanda. 
Malombe,  Lake,  52. 
Mambwe,  223. 
Manchewe  Falls,  340. 
Mandala,  219,  269. 
Mankambira,  107,  109,  197. 
Marenga,  140,  243,  244,  257. 
Marriages,  native,  72. 

Christian,  262,  330. 


Marsh,  elephant,  47. 

Martin,  George,  33. 

Massacre  of  porters,  230,  248. 

Matabele,  tribe,  185,  247. 

Matarika's,  201. 

Matiti,  50,  98. 

Matope,  95,  126,  265,  269. 

Maviti.     See  Ngoni, 

Mawelera,  164,  165. 

Mazaro,  43,  87. 

Mbalekelwa,  165. 

Medical    work,    62,    112,    127, 


322; 


INDEX 


367 


an  Imitatio  Chrtsti,  128 ;  influence 
of,  128,  130,  161,  324;  scope  for, 
129,  326  ;  nature  of,  322 ;  chloro- 
forming, 130  ;  not  confined  to  medi- 
cal men,  323;  cases,  323,  326; 
itineracy,  324  ;  difficulties,  325  ;  at 
Institution,  343. 

"  Medicine,"  war,  109,  130. 

Medicines,  native,  129. 

Medo,  201. 

Meteorological  observations,  40,   in, 

341- 

Military  force,  2IO. 
Miller,  A.  C.,  84,  243. 
Milling  plant,  347. 
Misale,  294. 
Mission,    Livingstonia.      See    Living- 

stonia. 

Universities,    21,  22,   27,   45, 

46,  50,  60,  64,  97,  98,   201,  275, 

295.  327- 

Missions,  African,  1 8 ;  South  African, 
20,  22,  25,  35  ;  Central  African,  54. 

Foreign,    opponents   of,  335 ; 

our  responsibility,  354. 

Missionary,  description  of,  37,  286. 
Missionary  Society,  Scottish,  19. 

Glasgow,  19. 

Church,  54. 

London,  54,  98,  loo,  202,  226, 

228,  232,  235,  319. 

Moravian,  98,  319. 

Berlin,  98, 


JU»,JIILI,    yvy,    J*-y. 

Missionaries,  European,  337. 

Kafir,  86,  100,  148,  155,  330. 

native,  309,  337,  343,  344. 

Romish,  293,  303. 

women,  333  ;  men,  333. 

Mitchell,  Dr  Murray,  32,  33,  35,  86. 

Mkhoma,  185. 

Mlozi,  1 88,  210,  282,  223,  271  et  seq. 

Moderatism,  353. 

Moffat,  Malcolm,  341. 

Moir,  Dr,  30. 

Fred.  L.  M.,  191,  202,  203,  216, 

219,  223,  224,  232,  265,  270,  276. 

Mrs  Fred,  310. 

John  W.,   148,  216,  219,  224, 

227,  275. 

Mombera,  147,  150,  162,  257,  267. 
Money,  for  Mission,  33. 

introduced,  126. 

Mopea,  siege  of,  270. 


Morality,  native,  80,  332. 
Morambala,  46,  294. 
Moravian  Missions,  98,  319. 
Mosquitoes,  45,  87. 
Motors,  for  Institution,  347. 
Mountains,  Livingstone,  56,  106,  345  ; 

Kirk,  181. 

Mozambique,  193,  293. 
Mpata,  271,  272. 
Mpemba,  59,  107,  198,  199. 
Mperembe,  147,  162,  165,  166. 
Mpeseni,  247. 
Mponda,  52,  59,  62,   73,  89,  93,  98, 

185,  193,  201,  270,  290. 
Mpondera,  183. 
Msalema,  271,  276. 
Mtwaro,  147,  150,  161,  257,  323,  325. 
Muavi,   ordeal,   78,    152,    172,    253, 

322. 

Munro,  Donald,  229,  233  et  seq. 
Murray,  A.   C.,    173,    176,   246,    284, 

285,  323. 

W.  H.,  185. 

William,  340. 


Mvera,  176,  246. 

Mvula,  James  Brown,  308,  334. 

Mwalia,  201. 

Mwasi,  153,  177,  1 88,  247. 

Mwembera,  230. 

Mweniwanda's,  170  et  seq.,  204,  223, 

231,  272,  274,  279. 
Mwenzo,  186,  281. 

NAMALAMB£,  ALBERT,  117,  141,  180. 

Namwanga,  328. 

Napoleon,  354. 

Native  evangelists,  309,  337,  343,  344. 

Natives,  welcome  Mission,  59,  60 ;  ap- 
pearance of,  73,  109 ;  civilization  of, 
74  ;  religion,  76 ;  morality,  80,  332  ; 
power  of  endurance,  89 ;  thieving, 
1 02 ;  superstitions,  109,  129,  179, 
251  ;  ignorance,  123;  confidence  in 
white  doctor,  130;  astonishment  at 
chloroform,  130,  323 ;  laziness,  125, 
318  ;  fortitude,  129  ;  dread  of  white 
man's  power,  258 ;  beer,  222  ;  wars, 
238 ;  evils,  251 ;  desire  British  pro- 
tection, 289  ;  treaties  with,  302,  303; 
linguistic  gifts,  342. 

Natives,  educated,  337. 

Ndindi,  141. 

Needles,  native,  13. 


368 


INDEX 


New  Testament,  Nyanja,  328. 

Ngerenge,  175. 

Ngoni,  the,  32,  48,  65  ;  villages,  71  ; 
dress,  74,  147  ;  Mr  Young,  88,  241  ; 
character  of,  57,  146,  241  ;  cruel 
raids,  99,  iio,  147,  154,  155,  162, 
182,  239 ;  religion,  148  ;  visited  by 
Dr  Laws  and  others,  148,  149,  153, 
160  ;  Mission  work  among,  149  et 
seq.  ;  first  converts,  162  ;  Christian 
rulers,  165 ;  Communion  season, 
169 ;  wars  with  Tonga,  242,  267  ; 
language,  328. 

Ngoniland,  central,  176;  south,  179. 

Ngunana,  Shadrach,  86,  100,  120, 135. 

Nicoll,  John  L.,  273. 

Njuyu,  161,  166,  268. 

Nkata  Bay,  109,  in. 

Normal  School,  343. 

Nsessi  River,  274. 

Ntintili,  A.  Mapas,  86,  100,  148. 

Nuncumba,  93,  255. 

Nyanja,  the  word,  58  ;  the  tribe,  48, 
71  ;  the  language,  131,  178,  327  ; 
New  Testament,  328 ;  common 
Bible,  328  ;  a  lingua  franca,  342. 

Nyasa,  north,  work  in,  169  et  seq. 

south,  work  in,  1 79  et  seq. 

Lake,  its  discovery,  17,  58, 

295  ;  visited  by  E.  D.  Young,  23, 
32  ;  arrival  of  Mission  at,  53  ;  its 
description,  58,  105 ;  first  circum- 
navigation, 105  ;  size,  106  ;  second 
circumnavigation,  107 ;  north  end, 
109  ;  further  exploration,  139. 

Nyasaland,  recommended  by  Living- 
stone, 21  ;  fixed  for  Mission  Station, 
28  ;  described,  56,  105  ;  explored, 
Iio;  invaded  by  Arabs,  271  ;  our 
claim  to,  289 ;  early  Portuguese 
efforts  to  annex,  290;  British  lay 
claim  to,  291  ;  the  Portuguese  claim, 
292 ;  the  British  claim,  295  ;  Govern- 
ment action,  297  ;  Portugal's  actions, 
299  ;  Pinto's  expedition,  300  ;  ulti- 
matum, 303  ;  German  claim,  304. 

Nymberi,  249. 

OIL,  KEROSENE,  347. 
O'Neill,  H.  E.,  203,  273,  291. 
Ordeal,  poison,  78,  152,  172,  253,322. 
Ordination  of  office-bearers,  312. 
Overland  route,  27,  226,  229,  235. 


Overtoun,  Lord,  233,  341,  346. 

PAMBETE,  227. 

Papacy,  293,  303. 

Park,  Mungo,  15. 

Pastors,  native,  337,  343. 

Peace,  220,  238,  267. 

Peden,  Dr,  323. 

Pelelt,  the,  73. 

Perils,  on  river,  87,  264  ;  hostile  chiefs, 
265,  266 ;  wars,  267  ;  interrupted 
communication,  268 ;  Arab  war, 
271;  Chikusi,  281;  Wemba,  281; 
fever,  282  ;  famine,  284  ;  animals, 
285. 

Petre,  Sir  George,  300. 

Philology,  328. 

Pictures,  use  of,  68. 

Pinto,  Major  Serpa,  300,  302,  304. 

Plant,  milling,  347. 

Plateau,  Tanganyika,  work  on,  186  et 
seq.  ;  slavery  on,  206 ;  surveyed, 
227  ;  the  Wemba,  281 ;  German 
aggression,  304  ;  Prof.  Drummond's 
visit,  334. 

Poison  ordeal,  78,  152,  172,  253,  322. 

Poka,  243,  328. 

Polwarth,  Lord,  36. 

Polygamy,  73,  261. 

Port  Elizabeth,  87. 

Porters,  native,  88 ;  massacre  of,  230, 
248. 

Portugal,  slave-trade,  193,  195 ;  con- 
cessions to  Lakes  Company,  215; 
attempts  to  annex  Nyasaland,  290 ; 
inflicts  heavy  tariff,  291  ;  seizes 
James  Stevenson,  292 ;  claims  Zam- 
besi, etc.,  292;  claims  considered, 
293 ;  continued  interference,  299, 
300;  ultimatum,  303. 

Portugese,  15,  17,  27,  39,  48,  71,  177, 
190,  269,  293. 

Postal  service,  67. 

Preachers'  class,  309,  344. 

Preachers,  native,  309,  337,  344. 

Preaching.     See  Evangelistic  work. 

Prentice,  Dr,  George,  1 88,  322. 

Press,  Mission,  319. 

Printing,  319. 

Protection,  consular,  266. 

Protectorate,  British,  103,  297,  208, 
225,  247,  280,  302,  339. 

Pulley,  Lieut.,  202. 


INDEX 


369 


RAIDS.    See  Ngoni. 

Railway,  Chiromo,  126. 

Rain  question,  77,  158,  259. 

Ramakukane,  51,  66,  88,  119. 

Rankin,  Daniel  J. ,  302. 

Rapids,    Murchison,    27,    48,    50,    87, 

126,  236. 

Records,  atmospheric,  40,  III. 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  30,  34, 

Refugees  to  Mission,  93. 

Riddell,   Alexander,    37,   44,    51,   94, 

106,  120,  131. 

River  journeying,  perils  of,  46,  87,  264. 
Roadmaking,  125. 
Road,  Sclater,  126,  300. 
Stevenson,   169,   174,  210,  226, 

271,    281,   304 ;  porters  massacred, 

230,  248. 

Robertson,  W.  Govan,  183  et  seq. 
Romish  Church,  293,  303. 
Rosebery,  Lord,  291,  297. 
Ross,  A.  C,  182. 

R.  S.,  84,  199,  229. 

Roxburgh,  Dr,  21. 

Ruo  River,  56,  48,  294,  302. 

SABBATH,  69. 

Salisbury,  Lord,  on  Arab  war,  278  ; 
on  Portuguese  aggression,  297,  298, 
300,  301. 

Sanctuary,  right  of,  200. 

Schools.     See  Education. 

Sclater  Road,  126,  300. 

Scott,  Dr  William,  153. 

A.  C.,  310. 

Rev.  L.,  273,  297. 

Scotland,  missionary  enthusiasm,  19, 
23  ;  her  efforts  for  good,  29. 

Scottish  Missionary  Society,  19. 

Segoli,  200. 

Sekeletu,  295. 

Sena,  196,  293. 

Senga,  tribe,  196. 

Session,  first  Kirk,  312. 

Sewing  classes,  330,  343. 

Sharpe,  Alfred,  273,  276,  303. 

Shire  River,  beauties,  45,  46;  sand- 
banks, 46 ;  dangers,  264,  265 ;  ex- 
plored by  Livingstone,  295. 

Highlands,  21,  46,  67,  300. 

Shirwa,  Lake,  17,  58,  295. 

Shupanga,  44. 


Silver,  Zambesi,  294. 
Simpson,  Allan,  37,  51,  106. 
Site,  first  Livingstonia,  40,  54,  60,  92, 
137  et_seq. 
~or  Insti 


for  Institution,  339. 


Slavery,  domestic,  194. 

Slaves,  fugitive,  92,  195,  200,  202,  273. 

Slave-trade,  Livingstone's  revelations, 
17,  21  ;  at  Mponda's,  52 ;  around 
Mission,  62 ;  fugitives,  92  ;  Arab 
war,  172,  271 ;  Wemba,  186 ;  de- 
scription of,  190 ;  policy  of  mis- 
sionaries, 40,  194,  199,  200,  273; 
Portuguese  implication,  195  ;  rescue 
of  slaves,  188,  198  ;  Brussels  Act 
enforced,  210;  Mlozi  hanged,  210; 
Lakes  Company's  actions,  217. 

Slave-yoke,  190. 

Slip,  for  Ilala,  66. 

Smeaton,  Professor,  21. 

Smith,  Dr  George,  209,  301. 
Sydney,  335. 


Smithies,  Bishop,  297,  337. 
Snakes,  65. 

Society,  Scottish  Geographical,  291. 
Royal  Geographical,  1 10,  227, 

229. 

Societies,  Missionary.    See  Missionary. 
Somali,  25. 

Songwe  River,  174,  229,  305. 
Sorcery,  77,  109,  129,  179,  251. 
Spirits,  the,  76,  77,  248,  251  ;  wotship 

of,  260.     See  Superstition. 
Stanley,  H.  M.,  23,  24,  203,  288,  290. 
Stealing,  102. 

Steele,  Dr  George,  162,  164,  310. 
Stephen,  John,  25,  26,  30. 
Stevenson  Road.     See  Road. 
Stevenson,  Nathaniel,  21. 

James,  26,  30,  33,  215,   226, 


228. 
Stewart,  Dr  James,  19,  30,  33,  34,  40, 

45,  86,  89,  91,  104,  107,   no,  137, 

197,  213,  305,  330. 
James,  96,  104,  no,  126,  136, 

149,  169,  226,  229,  232,  265,  266, 

284. 

Miss  L.  A.,  333,  345. 

Stuart,  Charles,  164. 

Success  of  mission,  349  ;  what  due  to, 

35*- 

Superstitions,    native,    77,    109,    129, 
179,  251. 

A 


370  INDEX 


Sutherland,  James,  155. 
Swaheli  language,  328. 
Swann,  A.  J.,  340. 
Swinney,  Rev.  Mr,  327. 

TANGANYIKA,  227  et  seg. 
Tariff,  Mozambique,  292. 
Tattooing,  73. 
Teachers,  native,  309,  337,  343. 

female,  330. 

Teaching.     See  Education. 

Telegraph,  341. 

Telephone,  341. 

Testament,  New,  Nyanja,  328. 

Tete,  196,  293. 

Thanksgiving  services,  260. 

Thefts  from  Mission,  102. 

Thelwall,  Mr,  85. 

Theological  education,  343,  345. 

Thieving,  102. 

Thomson,  Joseph,  221,  227,  240,  303, 

321. 

Thomson,  William,  319. 
Thread,  native,  331. 
Tomory,  Dr,  273. 
Tonga,  the,  56,  137,  140,    147,    149, 

160,  210,  243 ;   Ngoni   wars,    242, 

267  ;  language,  132,  327. 
Tongues,  diversity  of,  342. 
Tornado,  341. 

Tours,  missionary,  171,  310,  324. 
Tozer,  Bishop,  294. 
Trade.     See  Commerce. 
Trades,  native,  75. 
Traders,  unjust,  61,  216,  269. 
Training  of  teachers.    See  Livingstonia 

Institution. 

Translations,  131,  327. 
Transmigration  of  soul,  77. 
Treaties  with  natives,  302,  303. 
Treaty,  Anglo-German,  174,  305. 

Anglo- Portuguese,  304. 

Congo,  291,  294. 

137. 

Tumbuka,  164,  328. 
Tweedie,  Dr,  20,  21. 

UKUKWE,  173. 

Ultimatum  to  Portugal,  303. 

U.P.  Church,  35. 

Universities'  Mission.     See  Mission. 

VICTORIA  FALLS,  16. 


Villages,  native,  71,  72. 
Vivian,  Lord,  209. 
Vloc,  T.  C.,  176. 
Voltaire,  351. 

WAGES,  126. 

Waller,  Horace,  30,  41,  45,  99,  106, 
296,  297,  299. 

Mount,  1 06,  340. 


Wamwanga,  273. 
Wanda,  language,  327. 
Water,  for  Institution,  346. 

power,  for  Institution,  347. 


Waterston,  Miss,  331. 

Water-way  to  Central  Africa,  226,  235 ; 
opened  by  Livingstone,  295  ;  closed 
by  Portuguese,  291  ;  Lord  Salisbury 
on,  297. 

War,  prevented,  70,  159,  161,  162, 
165,  239,  257,  267,  313. 

Ngoni-Tonga,  242,  267. 

among  Tonga,  244. 

with  Jumbe,  245. 

on  death  of  chief,  162,  257. 

Arab,  172,  205,  208,  224,  235, 

271,  280,  326. 

"  War  "  medicine,  109,  no. 

Wars,  tribal,  164,  238,  267. 

Wauchope,  Isaac  Williams,  86,  loo. 

Weapons,  native,  74. 

Weaving,  native,  75. 

Weissman,  Lieut.,  204. 

Wekotani,  53,  98. 

Wemba,   186,  205,  209,  212,  281,  328. 

White,  James,  26,  30,  33,  34,  233. 

Williams,  George,  155. 

Wilson,  Dr  John,  25,  98. 

Captain,  30,  31,  34. 

Winamwanga,  186. 

Witchcraft,  77,  251,  260.  See  Super- 
stition. 

Witch-doctors,  260. 

Witch-finder,  77,  252. 

Women,  missionaries,  333. 

work  among,  330. 

Wundali,  174,  245. 

YAO,  48,  57,  71,  247,  302,  328. 
Yohane  Jere,  165. 
Young,  Dr  James,  30,  31,  33,  34. 
E.  D.,  23,  32,  37,  43,  45,  48, 

51,  63,  87,  90,  98,   105,   138,  193, 

195,  241. 


INDEX 


37i 


ZAMBESI,  explored  by  Livingstone,  17, 
21  ;  Kongone  mouth,  42;  opened  by 
Livingstone,  295 ;  closed  by  Portu- 
guese, 291  ;  Lord  Salisbury  on,  297, 
301  ;  made  international  highway, 
304. 

Zanzibar,  Sultan  of,  196,  208,  278,  280. 

overland  journey  from,  27,  226, 

229,  235. 


Zanzibar,  Arabs,  190. 

slavery,  204,  207,  271. 


Zoche,  205,  281. 
Zomba,  182,  295. 
Zongandaba,  146. 
Zulus.     See  Ngoni. 
Zumbo,  293. 


